


Amythest Rosewood and The Joys of Independence

by melmmhs94



Series: Amythest Rosewood [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Harry Potter Next Generation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:35:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 29,689
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23684005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melmmhs94/pseuds/melmmhs94
Summary: Amy Rosewood is your typical eleven-year-old girl, trying to balance her schoolwork, chores, and keeping her mother from yelling at her. She has no friends, no other family to spend time with and help her grow as a person.But then a stranger appeared at the door, and handed her the letter that would change her life forever.Now as a first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Amy has to learn not just magic, but also how to be a good person. What lessons does this school year have in store for Amy?
Series: Amythest Rosewood [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1705483





	1. Chapter One

** July 1, 2017 **

The afternoon light shone down into a modest bedroom where eleven-year-old Amy typed away at her computer. Notes from her last semester of school surrounded her as she keyed them into the document she had opened, music playing softly in the background. There wasn’t a single sound inside the house. The silence soothed Amy and helped her focus. But the ringing of the doorbell disrupted the peaceful stillness, startling Amy. With a deep breath and a stretch, she leaned back in her chair and checked the time, finding it to be nearly six. Who on earth would visit at this hour?

The doorbell rang again a few moments later, and Amy could hear her foster mother mutter loudly as she hurried around the kitchen.

With the promise of her foster mother's tantrum- which, for once, was not directed at her - she left her room and stood at a spot in the hallway of the second floor that granted her a view of the front door entrance. As predicted, Jasmine Mayzer appeared out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, and stomping a bit too hard as she approached the door and wrenched it open. For only a split-second, Amy was able to see the person was a male adult. She didn't get a good look at his face before her mother stepped close enough to the visitor that she blocked him from view.

"What?!" Jasmine snapped, not giving the person on the doorstep a chance to greet her before she interrupted him. He barely blinked, though. He didn't appear perturbed.

"Good day, ma'am." He answered without skipping a beat "My name is Percy Weasley. Are you the guardian of Miss Amethyst?"

"What of it?"

"I come bearing a letter for her." He held out an envelope which Jasmine grabbed harshly before inspecting it, flipping the paper over, again and again, as the visitor continued talking. "Amy has been accepted into a school for special children, and I wish to discuss this with her. I have another letter, for you as her guardian."

Amy started moving toward the top of the stairway, knowing she'd be caught lurking. "AMY!" Jasmine roared as she turned to the staircase, only to quiet when she saw her foster daughter descending. "How many times have I told you not to eavesdrop?"

"I was curious." Amy replied, standing next to her mother and looking at the man. He was taller than Amy had thought; he towered over Jasmine by at least a foot. But despite his height and noticeable belly, he seemed kind. He smiled a lot and bent down to her level. And when he addressed her, it was with a quiet voice. "Hello, Amy. I'm Percy. How do you do?"

"Hello."

"I have mail for you, and I’d like to ask you something as well.” Amy accepted the letter from Jasmine and held it gently in her hands though she didn't read it yet. She'd have time for that once this conversation was over.

"What is it?"

"Have you noticed any odd things happening around you before? Objects moving, flowers that suddenly bloomed, or a strong wind kicking up when there wasn't even a breeze? Especially when you're upset?"

"Sort of. I've seen the wind thing but also I can talk to animals. Well, I mean, I talk to them and they seem to understand me, but they don't talk back but I do understand them."

"That's brilliant. Have you ever wondered why that was?"

"Is there something wrong with me?"

"No, there isn't anything wrong, Amy. It just means you're different is all, and that's okay because you've been into a school for different children like yourself. It's a school of magic."

"Magic? As in pulling rabbits out of hats?"

"More like flying on broomsticks and casting spells."

"Why does a school like that want me? I'm just an ordinary girl."

"You're not as ordinary as you think, Amy. You have magic. You're a witch."

"A witch?!" She couldn't be a witch! Witches were ugly; they had a long pointed nose with warts, cackled a lot, had black cats for pets and ate children who get lost in the forest.

She grabbed her foster mother's sleeve, and looked up to see Jasmine's face, shock and fear prevalent on her features- she'd never seen her mother so pale.

"I understand how you feel, Amy." Percy continued, drawing Amy's focus back to him. "It's a big surprise. But it's not as bad as stories nowadays make it out to be. Hogwarts School is a great place, and you'll make a lot of friends while you attend your classes. It's like any secondary school, but with magic everywhere."

"Where is it? I've never heard of that school before." Jasmine interrupted.

"You wouldn't have heard of it because only kids who grow up in the wizarding community know about Hogwarts."

"How long is the education, and what would happen if I decided not to attend?" Amy asked.

"The school year starts on September 1st and ends June 30th, and you graduate at the end of your seventh year. At Hogwarts, you'll learn how to control your magic, but ignoring your powers can have nasty consequences. Eventually, you could pose a danger to yourself and anyone around you."

"How long do I have to consider this?"

"You need to reply one way or the other before July 31st. Here's my card, you can ask me if you have any questions." He reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a business card that was surprisingly modern; it made a sharp contrast against the ancient parchment from the school. "Here's another piece of information for you. The wizarding world communicates by owl mail. When you make your decision about Hogwarts, write the letter and an owl will find you. Give the letter to the owl and it will take care of it from there."

"Thank you, Percy."

"You're welcome, Amy. I hope I'll see you again."

"Now, that's enough. Inside with you, Amy." Her mother shooed her back into the house, closing the front door behind her.

Amy raced up to her room, closed the door and sat back down at her desk. Her mind buzzed and twirled with the life-changing information she's just learned. She tried to focus, recalling her conversation with Percy, but she couldn't keep one thought in place long enough to contemplate her thoughts. Needing a distraction, she picked up the letter and inspected it as closely as she could.

The paper was parchment, aged yellow and with a crisp texture. She'd never touched parchment before now, but she understood why it was the paper of choice a few centuries ago; the texture was very different from modern paper and it was almost fun to hold. On the face of the envelope, scrawled in royal blue ink:

** Miss Amethyst Rosewood **

** Staithes, North Yorkshire **

And on the back was a splotch of red wax with an image pressed into it, holding the flap to the paper. Amy popped open the seal and withdrew the letter, discovering two pages. The first page read:

**_ HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY _ **

**_ Headmistress: MINERVA MCGONAGALL _ **

_ Dear Ms. Rosewood, _

_ We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. _

_ Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31. _

_ Yours sincerely, _

_ Abilene Newman _

_ Deputy Headmistress _

The next page held a list of books and things to get for the new school year. She read the list over a few times, though the repetition did nothing to help her understand what these items were or how to get them, so she laid on her bed.

A school of magic, teaching magic courses for magic children, in an unknown location. She had until July 31st to reply, and when she did, she needed an owl that would magically sense her needs and help her. How on earth does stuff like that even work? A tap at the window drew her attention, spurring Amy to rise from her bed and open the only window that still worked. Cobble, a pigeon she had once nursed back to health after a group of boys threw stones at it and hurt its wing, perched on the windowsill.

"Hey, Cobble. How are you? You never come to visit anymore. I guess you're too busy with your chicks, aren't you?" The pigeon trilled and looked towards its nest, which Amy could see in a tree nearby. "I bet you're hungry, huh? Summer's in full swing, and houses are lying empty. Not enough people out on the streets to bring you bread. Well, don't you worry. I've got seed for you."

Amy walked to her desk, opened a drawer at the bottom, and came back a few moments later with a measuring cup full of birdseed. She placed the cup beside Cobble, who trilled happily and began to peck at the food.

"So, guess what? I'm a witch. I can do magic. And they want me to attend a school for magical kids. I'm not sure where I'd be able to find the things I'd need, but it's worth being away from here, right?"

Cobble looked up at Amy and cooed in a way that Amy knew meant the pigeon was agreeing with her, before she went back to the cup.

"It sure sounds exciting. Casting spells, mixing potions, riding on brooms. Making new friends, meeting new people my age who don't care if I'm a freak. And I'll be away from here for a whole year."

The pigeon cooed again but Amy didn't hear. She was too deep in her imagination to notice. All she could see was her packing a trunk full of clothes and magical books, saying goodbye to her mother and the pressures she demanded, and boarding a plane with a smile on her face, maybe with a new pet in tow, and not returning until next June. The vision had her so happy, so excited, that she knew her answer even before her mind drifted back to the present.

This was a significant moment for her. Never had she been so enthralled by an idea, so ready to pack her things and leave her familiar life. But she couldn't stand another year here, struggling night after night for the best grades, with every child in school calling her names during the day. And it wasn't like she could turn to her mother for comfort; Jasmine almost never helped Amy solve her problems and only added to them with threats of punishment if she failed a test. That was the way her life had been up to this point, too much studying and not enough fun. Her life was passing her by and she needed to do something. Could Hogwarts be the answer? Amy supposed, at the very least, Hogwarts would be better than here.

"Well...I guess that's it then. I will write that letter and tell Deputy Headmistress Newman that I want to attend. That's what I'm doing." She rushed to her desk, shoved her papers aside and dug out a new sheet. She grabbed her pen and wrote:

_ Dear Deputy Headmistress Newman, _

_ Thank you for accepting me into Hogwarts School. I would very much like to attend the upcoming school year. As I was not raised by wizarding parents, I am unaware about how to get to Hogwarts or where I need to purchase my school supplies. I would appreciate this information and anything else I might need to know. Thank you so much! _

_ Yours truly, _

_ Amethyst Rosewood _

When Amy was satisfied with her letter, she folded it and tucked it into an envelope she fashioned out of regular paper and sealed the flap with tape. Using the original letter for the return address, she filled out the mailing information on the front. The moment she finished it, a flapping of wings drew Amy's attention back to Cobble, who had taken flight, and in her place now was a pure black owl.

"Percy was right." She took her letter in hand and approached the owl. "Can you get this to Professor Newman at Hogwarts School, please?" She held the letter out to the bird.

The owl screeched and clutched the letter in her beak, fluffed her wings with a gust of wind, and soon was back in the sky. Amy raced downstairs, her feet pounding on the wooden staircase as she made her descent.

"Mother!"

"Amy, how many times have I told you not to run on the stairs?" Her mother called out in a hiss, from the kitchen. Amy turned in that direction and found her mother preparing dinner.

"I've decided. About Hogwarts."

"That was fast."

"It's a new school, new people, and a whole new curriculum I know nothing concrete about." She deliberately left out the part she was most excited about: getting away from her mother.

"So, you're not going then?"

"Actually, I already sent the letter saying I want to attend."

A sharp blow from the cleaver wrenched the chicken in half, a more forceful blow than was necessary. It took a moment before Amy's mother replied, and she did so with a question laced with a barely hidden challenge. "Is that so?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? It's like you said. New school, new people, new subjects. You'd be travelling the country with no concrete proof the place exists. And have you thought about what you will need for this new school? How are you going to buy the supplies, and where? With what money?"

"I asked for more information about that and getting to school. I will worry about everything else later once I have more information."

"What if you find out you can't afford the schooling? You'll have to drop out, and by then all the deadlines for the local schools will have passed. You'll be left without a secondary school for the next year, and that is unacceptable."

"Owls transport the letters, and they're a lot faster and more reliable than cars. There'll be plenty of time for me to get things sorted before the reply dates close. Besides, they wouldn't accept someone who couldn't afford to go. I'm sure there are measures in place to help people like me. And if I can't make it work, then that will be that. I'll rescind my acceptance and find a school here. But as long as it's within my power, I'm attending Hogwarts."

"Amethyst!"

"Oh come off it, Mother. You've been like this my whole life. Keeping me at home, close to you, going to schools  _ you _ want me in, taking the classes _ you _ want, doing chores I shouldn't have to do until I'm in my own flat because you're too lazy to do them yourself. I mean, who demands a six year old cook breakfast for the adult?! And when I mess up, you blame it all on me and say I'm not competent. When I succeed, you take all the credit and do nothing to praise me. It's my fault, I've been letting you do it. But now I've got a chance to get away, to only worry about myself, and I'm taking it. Maybe when I come back next summer, you'll have gotten used to being without me and you'll treat me like a daughter instead of an indentured servant."

"How dare you speak to me that way! Everything I have done, everything I've pushed you to do, has been for your own good. Are you not one of the most mature eleven-year-olds around? Do you not make honor roll every year? How many awards and certificates do you have tucked away in your room because of your grades? Why? Because I've been pushing you to be better, so I know that you'll be able to handle life on your own when you leave."

"But at the sacrifice of my childhood! All I ever remember doing is homework and chores and report cards! I've never had a pet, I've never had a real friend and we do nothing fun as a family. You only get home in time to make a quick dinner. It's like I'm nothing but an unwanted burden to you. It's no wonder I'm more mature; because during all of my chores and studying, you stole my childhood from me. And now I'm taking it back, to make something worthwhile of my life. I'm going to Hogwarts, because being here is pure hell!"

"Fine, then!" Her mother finally snapped, slapping a corner of the dishtowel on the counter to make a sound meant to frighten Amy into backing down. "Go ahead! Go become a witch, learn magic. Prove yourself worthy. But when you find you're too ordinary for them, don't come crawling back here. That door will be closed to you and it will stay that way."

Her mother's words cut her to the heart. There were no thoughts, no words could express the pain Amy felt in that moment. Unwanted by even her mother - which was suspected for the longest time but now confirmed.

"Then we agree on something because you're not my mother." Amy spat out the cruelest thought she had, turned on her heel and marched back upstairs, shoving the door closed behind her.

A moment later, she was back at her desk, staring in disbelief at papers that had been so important an hour ago but now were the farthest thing from her mind. She threw every loose paper she had into the rubbish bin, grabbed a fresh piece of paper and a pencil. Working through the room, she made a complete list of every item she had and what she wanted to do with it - take it to Hogwarts or get rid of it. Most things would be sold off or trashed, and she wanted to take only her most essential items to Hogwarts. She made short work of her room since the only important pieces she needed to sell were her desk, bed and wardrobe. Once that was done, she made a list of questions to ask Newman in her next letter. She'd have to bring her laptop - it was too valuable.

A few days later, her moth- Jasmine and Amy were still not speaking. Jasmine left a note the next morning saying she would still pay for everything she needed until she left, including Amy's weekly allowance which was now tripled. Once she left, the only thing Amy would get from her was her elevated allowance, and even that was required by law.

That night, a snowy owl arrived. Amy read the letter, writing a few more questions before closing the letter and giving it to the bird who flew off straight away. Just as the white owl was leaving, the black one returned bearing a letter from Percy. He had received word of her decision to attend Hogwarts and he would be there to pick her up on August 30th for shopping and departure from King's Cross Station on the following day. He told her to be packed for the year as she would not be returning to the house. Amy sent the reply - a simple message of thanks, plus a few questions she had thought of after her list to Newman - and sent the letter off with the black bird.

** August 30th, 2017 **

Sixty days after receiving her letter, Amythest clicked the locks on her suitcase closed as the grandmother clock in the hallway chimed nine in the morning. With her suitcase locked, Amy spun around the room, taking in all the changes she's made in the last two months. She had sold most of the bigger items; her desk, chair, mattress and bedframe, and wardrobe. Having received word electronic devices would not work in the wizarding world, he had sold her laptop and cell phone online, kept the easy-to-pack papers and writing utensils she'd accumulated, her personal documents like her birth certificate, and had thinned out her collection of things to only five outfits and a few sets of pajamas, one formal dress, and her toiletries. Everything else she had donated to the local thrift store.

Her room was bare, devoid of the life it used to shelter. This was the beginning of her future; leaving the house she'd grown up in and her mother behind for an uncertain future. The thing that Amy found hardest to swallow was the fact if she failed in her wish to become a worthy witch, if she got expelled from Hogwarts, she wouldn't have a home to return to.

Jasmine had taken the chance Amy's leaving had given her, to redefine her life now that she didn't have to raise her daughter. Jasmine had made the most of it, renting out the house in favor of a modest condo in London that was closer to a bigger law firm where Jasmine had been accepted as a partner. Amy's guardianship had been arranged between the Ministry of Magic and the Muggle government so she was now Percy's ward. He had also arranged for her to spend each summer and holiday with a family he trusted who took in children like her. A wizarding family called the Potters.

Her mother was moving on with her life, leaving out almost all thought of Amy, and they were about to part ways. Amy's small-town life was over and she had no clue what she would do except her best in school. Passing her classes and excelling would be her only chance to stay in this new world.

But as much as Amy tried to reassure herself of that, she couldn't stop her heart from squeezing and burning, or stop the tears building in her eyes when she let herself dwell for too long. No, she needed to keep going. Percy would be here soon to pick her up, and she needed to be ready. She couldn't cry yet.

Shaking herself calm, she grabbed her suitcase and backpack, and descended the stairs, dodging movers in the hallway as she made her way outside.

This was her final chance to see her once-home. To relive all the memories she'd accumulated. The living room where she'd learned to walk and talk, the kitchen where she'd learned to cook her favorite meals, the bedroom where she'd studied for so long each night.

But there was nothing for her there anymore. Everything now lay at Hogwarts and looking backward wouldn't do any good.

She set her things on the edge of the grass, near Percy who had only just arrived, and watched the movers load the last, heavy boxes into her mother's rented van and closed the door. Jasmine walked through the house and locked the door.

"Are you ready to go?" Percy asked patiently.

"Yes." She stated as she opened the taxi's trunk and put her things in.

"Do you want to say goodbye to your mother? You won't see her again."

"We've said everything we need to."

"Very well, then." He held open the door for her, allowing her to climb in first. Amy looked to her mother, locked eyes with the woman for a few moments. A part of her wanted to say goodbye in some way but another part wanted only to leave.

Her mother broke eye contact and entered the van while the movers drove away. Amy climbed into the taxi, allowing Percy's closing of the door to set the seal on her old life. With the start of the engine, she moved off into her new life as a witch at Hogwarts.

After the taxi dropped them off at the only hotel in her hometown, Percy ushered Amy around the side of building and into the alley - not inside as she would have expected.

"So how are we getting to London, Percy?"

"By broomstick. For the distance we need to go, its the most reliable and safest." Percy drew his wand and tapped on a particular stone in the pavement. The stones around it folded themselves away, revealing two broomsticks. Percy claimed one and handed the other to her. The moment the brooms were free of their storage space, the stones went back into place.

"I've never traveled by broomstick before."

"I know. That's why I thought you'd love it. I made sure to grab you our oldest, most trusted broomstick. Its strong enough to get us to London, and fast enough to keep things efficient. Its thicker in the handle for small, inexperienced hands, and it prefers to follow the lead broom, which is mine. You'll barely have to do anything. And you don't have to worry about Muggles seeing us; I cast a charm on these brooms to keep us invisible to them. But we can see everything, and other wizards can still see us. Just remember to breathe, okay? Oh! And I brought these handkerchiefs to help us with that." He dug into his pocket for a moment and pulled out two large handkerchiefs - one was purple, the other was white. He handed her the purple one. "I'll tie this around your head and mouth, to help keep you from swallowing bugs. I've also enchanted them to help us breathe. The brooms will be going quite fast for a long way; its not exactly the best way for a novice broomrider to learn how to breathe while on a broom. These handkerchiefs will help with that, slowing the air around your mouth so you can breathe more easily."

She stayed still while Percy helped her with the handkerchief. "So what do I do?"

Percy situated himself beside her. When he swung his leg over the broomstick, she did as well. Following Percy's instructions, she placed her right over her left and gripped firmly, the suitcase tucked between her hands.

"Now, bend your knees and shift your weight towards the back of the broom while you lean forward - yes, that's right. Next, we're going to kick off from the ground. Put all your weight into it, and hold tight to your broom. Do you understand?"

"Yes." She shifted her weight and leaned forward, ready for Percy's next command.

"Ready? One. Two. Three!"

No sooner had she leapt than she was yanked into the sky by her broom. The unexpected force was almost too much for her small hands, but she managed to regain her grip on the broom and stayed in the air. Following Percy higher into the sky, her broom settled into its position and speed, a respectable distance behind and to the side of his. When they leveled out above the buildings, Amy relaxed and noticed how the air around her mouth wasn't being pulled as harshly across her face as her hair and clothes were. The handkerchief must be doing its job, and she found it quite easy to breathe. Percy looked back at her and she waved at him, to which he nodded and returned his focus to the sky in front of them.

Amy didn't ask how long they were in the air, but she knew they were getting close when Big Ben came into sight, and then she saw Buckingham Palace near it, when she got closer. Percy waved at her and gestured they go higher. She nodded and followed him higher into the sky. They stayed below the clouds but they were now over the tallest buildings in the city. Percy also kept them tucked to the river Thames, where they joined other wizards travelling by broomstick. But while everyone else kept flying, Percy flew them over Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, to let Amy take in these incredible sights. The circling helped her see the bigger picture of London and the Thames, before Percy herded her off farther down the river to King's Cross Station, where they hovered for a while reality settling in again for Amy as she focused on the train station below. This is the building that, in less than twenty-four hours, would hold the Hogwarts Express - the train that would take her to Hogwarts. This is where her new life as witch would truly begin as she boards the train for her new school.

After several minutes, Percy led her away from the river and deep into the surrounding neighborhoods of London. They steadily dropped altitude until they were flying just above the cars, and still no one turned to look at them. They made turn after turn, until they finally stopped in an alley far away from the London tourism.

They dismounted in a dark alley, near other brooms. "We can leave our brooms here. They'll be safe." Percy explained before he groaned and stretched his back for the first time in hours. Amy braced her broom against the wall and stretched as well. Now that her feet were on the ground, she could move around as much as she wanted - a welcome relief after having spent hours on a broom that reacted to her every movement.

She leaned against the wall to help her back settle into place after the stretching and breathed deeply before she asked, "What will we do now, Percy?"

"Now, we drop off your things. This is where you'll be staying the night and every summer."

"Here?"

"Yes. This is a special house for children who don't have homes to return to. Of course, it wasn't always." They stood outside the house now, watching number twelve. "It used to be a regular residence of a wizarding family - the Blacks. They, like other families of their time, prided themselves on being pureblood wizards. Meaning that they only married other pureblood wizards, not Muggles, Muggleborns or half-bloods. Its an old notion that has since gone out of style, but their home remains. Forty years ago, an evil wizard came into power. There was a great war called the First Wizarding War between the dark wizard Voldemort and his followers, and the witches and wizards who stood against him. When a baby named Harry Potter bounced his curse back at him, Voldemort disappeared. Among the casualties were Harry's own parents. For thirteen years, everything was peaceful and Harry grew into a young man. Through several adventures, he became a member of our family, a close friend to my brother and another son for my mother to dote on. But then Voldemort came back, having found a way to restore his body and power. His followers came back to him, bringing their own children to the cause. The Second Wizarding War waged for three years and ended in a great battle where Harry and his friends defeated Voldemort once and for all. But many lives were lost, including Harry's godfather and his father's best friend. When his godfather died, Harry came into possession of the Black house by right of inheritance, and he and his wife turned it into what it is now a safe home for children who don't have a home to go to during summer break, orphans or those who can't go to their parents' home, where they can learn about more than spells, and make friends. And when they grow into adults, they can stay here after their graduation while they look for a job until they can afford their own place. And this is no longer the House of Black. Now it's the R.J. Lupin House."

"Whoa."

"I know, there's a lot of information that you didn't ask for. But you'll find that you'll make a lot of friends at Hogwarts, and some of them will probably start here. Now, let's go inside and drop off your things."

Three knocks on the door were answered almost immediately by an adult, a man was Amy's best guess. He was tall, almost as tall as Percy, and perhaps a bit on the thin side. He sported a few wrinkles, his hair was jet black and unruly, eyes a comforting and bright green, and he smiled warmly. In short, Amy didn't quite know what to make of him, but she trusted Percy and if he liked this man so much then he mustn't be bad.

"Ah, Percy, there you are! We were beginning to wonder where you were. And this must be Amy. Hello, Amy!"

"H-Hello."

"Harry!" A woman shouted from deeper in the house, drawing the man's attention behind him. "Will you stop chatting and invite them in? Lunch's almost ready and I'd like everyone at the table when it is, not standing in the doorway."

"I was just about to, Ginny." Harry replied and stood aside, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry about that, Amy. Welcome to Number 12 Grimmauld Place or - more recently - the R.J. Lupin House."

"Thank you, sir, for allowing me to stay here tonight and the following summers."

"Of course, my dear. You're quite welcome here. Now, how about if Percy shows you around and shows you to your room, eh?"

Amy nodded and followed Percy inside while Mr. Potter moved toward the living room.

The walls were lined with white wood planks and they stretched down the hallway leading into the kitchen. They walked on a cherry-colored hardwood floor that Amy fell in love with - what a wonderfully deep yet expressive color! The walls themselves were white, accentuating the redness in the wood. The stairwell was to Amy's right, with a cherry-colored banister to match the hardwood, the same walls all of the way to the top floor as far as Amy could see, and the stairs were the same hardwood but topped with a beautiful red and gold rug that Amy could only glance at.

Percy drew her attention into the living room, where there were chairs circled around the fireplace, and another group of chairs further back into the foyer. The theme of cherry floors and white walls continued, and the chairs themselves continued the theme. They looked soft and plushy, and were white-colored with cherry feet. There were also windows here, letting in light and warmth, dressed with white curtains. Through them, Amy could see a sight that she knew should be impossible to find in London; the lake she had lived near back in her village. She could even see her pigeon friend's tree! How was this possible? What spell allowed this? She'd have to ask Percy later.

"Now, before it was opened with it's new purpose, this house actually looked quite different. There weren't as many bedrooms, and it was so dark in here; dark furniture, dark window dressings, even the walls were almost black. It all worked together to make this house feel small and depressing. So before they opened, Harry and Ginny did some remodeling. They expanded the floorplan, adding an additional ten floors and thirty bedrooms, which they could only do with magic, and they completely redecorated. It took a long time, but the results were worth it. After two years of tricky spellcasting and expensive remodeling, they were finally able to open the doors to the R.J. Lupin House."

Percy led her from the living room and foyer to the dining room, which connected to the kitchen. There were several sets of matching tables and chairs, able to sit too many people for Amy to count.

They turned just slightly so the tables and chairs were on their left and they had a direct line of vision into the busy kitchen, where a woman with fiery red hair tied in a braid was stirring a pot while five teenagers helped set the tables.

"This is Ginny Potter, Harry's wife and my sister. And these are Mavis, Troy, Brad, Jordan and Michelle. They are all fifth years at Hogwarts now. Everyone, I'd like to introduce Miss Amethyst Rosewood."

Ginny perked up immediately. "Hello, Amy, dear! Welcome to the House. Lunch will be ready soon, why don't you go put your things away and tidy up? You’re in the second bedroom, third floor, bed number four. And we know you didn't bring a trunk and its standard at Hogwarts so we got you one. Its already engraved with your name and waiting for you."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, I'll do that."

Percy herded her out of the kitchen and down the hallway they had come in, then up the stairs.

"Exactly how large is each room?"

"Oh, pretty large but it doesn't feel like it. You'll be sharing your room each year with three other girls in your year, and there are three bedrooms on each floor. So your floor - the third floor - will house twelve first-year girls. And the floor above you holds twelve first-year boys, and so on. There are a total of sixteen floors, and fourteen of them are for students. Now, this second floor here is Harry and Ginny's floor - their bedroom suite, and their offices. Yours is the next one, second bedroom. Think you can find it?" They didn't stop and kept climbing the stairs.

"Are the doors numbered?"

"Of course! Otherwise everyone would get lost! The technical marking would be 3B."

"Got it!" They came up to the third floor and Amy got her first good look around.

There were four doors, each marked with a proud, gold emblem that declared the door's name. Amy quickly spotted hers, dead ahead of the staircase but she also checked out the hall behind her, finding the third bedroom and bathroom on the far wall. The first bedroom was nestled between the third and second bedrooms, tucked into the corner.

"That's the bathroom back there. You'll see the inside for yourself soon enough. Why don't you go into your room and find your bed?"

Suddenly filled with excitement, she raced ahead to open the door and see the bedroom she'd occupy for a single night.

Instead of cherry floors, there was carpet; white, soft and fuzzy. Hanging on the white walls were red carpets inlaid with gold thread to create a beautiful design that Amy had no words to describe. The two windows were also dressed in red curtains, thick enough to insulate the room against the cold and to block out light. While the rest of the house echoed, this room sucked up all sound - such as the sound of turning pages and scribbling.

Amy also immediately noticed the beds. There were four beds in the room, two against each side-wall, and each bed was its own living area. They reminded her of bunk beds, but the part that would have been the lower bunk was actually a desk and bookcase extending from underneath the headboard. At the foot end of the bed was the student's trunk, marking who slept where.

On the left wall, studying at her desk in the corner, a girl no older than she was hard at work.

"Hello?" Amy asked hesitantly, not wanting to disturb the other girl but also eager to meet someone knew.

"Hello. You must be Amy." The other witch answered, setting down her pen and approaching Amy with a bright smile and a spring in her step. "Nice to finally meet you! Welcome to the House, and to the wizarding world. I'm Marigold but you can call me Mary."

"That's a pretty name!"

"Thanks. I'm a Muggleborn, too. At least, I think I am. I'm an orphan, you see. My parents died when I was a baby, and no one knows who they were. Neither government had any documents on them, or on me, so I don't even know if they were Muggles or wizards. So I've lived in foster care my whole life, and when I was accepted into Hogwarts, Percy came to get me like he did with you, only sooner. I've been here for three years now."

"Wow, that's quite a history. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Life is life, right? Now, I bet you're tired and itching to go to Diagon Alley so why don't you unpack, we'll eat lunch, and then Percy can take you shopping."

"Sure, but what's Diagon Alley?" Mary and Amy both turned to her trunk, and Amy started to unpack.

"Its basically a wizarding mall. You can buy everything you'll need for Hogwarts there, and lots of other stuff. Everyone in the wizarding world shops there. And with the integration of certain Muggle items, even life at Hogwarts is beginning to change. The stationary shop has regular lined paper, and pens and pencils of all types, in addition to the regular scrolls of parchment, quills and ink. And this changes how much work the teachers ask for when it comes to essays. Instead of asking for three to five inches, they ask for five paragraphs. Also, dogs and large birds like parrots are allowed as pets now. Some other shops have brought in Muggle things but nothing that you'll need at Hogwarts."

"That's so cool! What else is there?" Having unpacked her clothes, Amy closed her suitcase and placed her backpack into the space she'd left open for it, listening intently as Mary continued to talk on their way downstairs.

Downstairs, Amy and Mary walked into the dining room, seeing Ginny with her hand raised to a gold rope that she hadn't noticed before.

"What's the rope for?"

"When its pulled, it magically rings a bell in every bedroom, to tell everyone its mealtime - or to call a meeting - without Ginny shouting."

"Brilliant. Is there a seating chart or something?"

"Gosh, no! We just sit wherever we want to. I prefer the corners because I don't like being penned in." She motioned to the table nearest them and tucked in to a spot. Amy quickly sat beside her and placed her napkin on her lap.

Within a minute, about twenty other kids came downstairs and joined them at the tables, easily filling every available seat. Three other first-years sat nearby, introducing themselves as the twins Evangeline and Jones Greer, and Tony Keane. They didn't make it past introductions before Ginny clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Right, everyone. Now that we are all here, let's say hello and welcome our newest addition, Amy!" A quick chorus of 'hellos' echoed through the students - the chorus making Amy blush with nervous energy - before the attention was directed to Ginny once again. "And just a reminder. Make sure you have everything packed tonight - and I do mean everything. Tomorrow you leave for Hogwarts, and you don't want to leave anything behind. The train leaves at eleven o'clock, so we will need to leave at ten. I want everyone out of bed at eight and ready for breakfast at nine. We will be travelling by broomstick, keep that in mind when you eat breakfast tomorrow. Third years, are there any Hogsmead slips that haven't been signed yet? No? Good. Alright, everyone, dig in!" Then Ginny produced a wand and waved it in the air. Immediately, trails of food-laden platters floated through the air and down the tables, almost dancing along their way. Then they gently touched down on the linen and portions of everything - green beans and corn, one chicken breast and a thigh and drumstick, mashed sweet potatoes, and a drink, neatly divided and placed themselves on each student's plate. While the other kids dug right into their meal, Amy stared at her plate, transfixed by the first real use of magic she'd witnessed. She wasn't sure how to process everything, until Mary nudged her to draw her attention.

"Pretty much the only rule at the table is you have to eat everything. The chair won't let you up until you do. If you want seconds, you can grab it. But you have to eat it all. There's also dessert, but you can refuse it if you want to. Go ahead and eat, I promise it won't bite."

Hesitantly, Amy took a bite of the chicken breast. At the taste of the bird on her tongue, she felt her muscles melt and lose the stress from the day. The food was absolutely divine, cooked perfectly, moist, and covered in a garlic, herb and lemon seasoning. She chewed slowly, getting a good taste of every flavor the chicken had to offer. When it was gone, she dove in for a second bite.

Evangeline, to summarize, was hyper but sweet. She always smiled, always tried to let Amy talk but was so full of questions, mostly about Amy's life but also about Hogwarts. Meanwhile, her brother was a bit more reserved, letting his sister do all the talking but unafraid to converse as well. For twins, they didn't look alike. Evangeline had long blonde hair pulled into two high ponytails, pale skin and deep green eyes. Her brother, on the other hand, had black hair gelled into place and short, straight-cut bangs, with bright blue eyes. He let his sister do most of the talking, his eyes rarely leaving Amy except to eat. She got the distinct impression he was sizing her up.

Tony, on the other hand, was eager for conversation. He smiled the whole time, tried to let Evie do the asking but unafraid to ask his own now and then. His hair was black as night and unusually long for a boy, eyes as green as the ocean, and he had a blue ribbon or something tied around his neck that matched the blue in his sweatshirt. He had a serious look in his eyes that went along with the half smile turning his lips upward. Amy recognized that look of quite and polite concentration for she often donned it herself. Was he memorizing everything that was being said?

After two rounds of dinner, a plate of dessert and a cup of water, Amy's stomach filled as much as her head did with the information she was learning about her new friends. When the older kids started to leave the table, she did so as well, and she was quite happy to find the other three Muggleborns did as well, following her into the living room and picking a circle of chairs to continue their conversation. But Amy struggled to stay awake, until Percy approached them.

"Hey, everyone. Getting along all right?"

"Getting along famously, Percy!" Evie chirped.

"Its true." Amy added in a more subdued voice.

"I'm glad to hear that, but I regret I must take Amy to Diagon Alley. The train leaves tomorrow and if we don't do it now, we won't have enough time tonight before the shops close."

"Aww!" Evie and Mary pouted in unison but the boys stood.

"Oh, come on, girls!" Tony piped up. "Its not like she's not coming back. We'll see her tomorrow at breakfast, and every day for the next seven years."

"Oh, yeah!" Evie giggled. "I'd forgotten that."

"Well, you'd better hurry along, then, Amy." Mary stood. "I know you'll love Diagon Alley. We can swap stories when you get back."

"Thanks, guys. I'll be back!" Amy waved and felt around for her wallet, finding it in its place in her back pocket. "I'm ready, Percy."


	2. Chapter Two

"How far away is Diagon Alley, Percy?" Amy asked.

"It’s too far to walk, but we can get there easily with our broomsticks."

"We're flying again?"

"I know it’s not very comfortable when you're first starting out, but it's the most efficient form of travel for us right now. We're low on time to get you your school things, and it's simply too far to walk. We aren't flying for so long this time, and you already know what you're doing so it'll be easier." Percy commented as he mounted his broom, prompting Amy to do the same with hers. In an instant, they were in the sky once more, drifting to the right towards Big Ben. As they neared the giant clock tower they shifted to the left and kept flying until the clocktower was but a line in the distance. That's when Percy started circling over one particular shop. They touched down on the concrete behind the cafe and stowed away their brooms.

"We're almost there now." Percy explained. "Like most places in the wizarding world, there are multiple entrances to Diagon Alley. Many arrive by the Floo Network, which is to say the chimneys. Many, especially those with children, arrive by Apparition and broomstick. But both ways require you to pass through the Leaky Cauldron.”

"So the cafe is just a front?"

"That's right! This is the Leaky Cauldron. It used to be a pub, but they've updated the storefront to seem more inviting for Muggles. It’s also a hotel for wizarding folk but you're not gonna need to know any more than that. Now, we go." Percy held open the door for her and guided her to the register. "Would you like anything, Amy?" He asked as he dug in his pockets. "My treat."

"Maybe just a small soda, please." Amy muttered, looking around.

The place was decorated with bright mint walls, dark counters, and tables. On the walls were black lantern posts that gave off light with their lightbulbs, instead of flames. Most of the light came from the chandelier that hung from the center of the room. It looked so warm, open, and inviting. Strangely, the color combination gave her the taste of mint and chocolate on her tongue.

Percy handed her the cup and guided her to a machine. She filled her cup with her favorite soda, and sipped on it while Percy led her through the kitchen and out the back door to the deserted alley. She could even still see the broomsticks! Was the trip into the cafe really necessary?

"Did we have to go inside when we could have just come this way?"

"Yes. What you can't see is an invisible wall that now hides us from Muggle eyes. Passing through the Leaky Cauldron did that. Now we can go to Diagon Alley without being seen. Let me show you."

Amy watched as Percy drew his wand, tapped a few bricks in the wall in a certain order, and then muttered a spell she didn't understand.

Right before her eyes, the tapped bricks folded away, knocking their neighbors as they retreated to the sides of the alley. When the brick wall cleared away, Amy stared down the main street of a bustling marketplace.

There was chaos everywhere. Children ran around playing and screaming while their parents pushed carts as they talked with friends. Shopkeepers were shouting to advertise their wares over the loudness of the crowd. Animals screeched, growled, hissed or squeaked, and some children were even playing with sparklers and fireworks. Still more people were flying overhead on disheveled brooms or appearing suddenly out of thin air.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley." Percy explained, gently moving her forward a few steps so that the brick wall could close behind them. "You have your letter, correct?"

Amy nodded and took out her acceptance letter from her purse. She opened it and read the long list of things she would need. As the list grew, she became concerned.

"Will the money I have with me be enough to pay for all of this?" She asked once she had reached the bottom of her list.

"Wizards use different money than what Muggles use. But don't worry. Gringotts will exchange your Muggle money for Wizarding coins. You probably have enough, but if you don't then Gringotts will give you a loan."

"A loan?! But then I must pay it back, right? How will I be able to pay it back if I don't have a job? Can I even get a job at my age, while I'm at school?!"

"You must pay it back, yes, but not until you leave Hogwarts and get a job. Not to worry, there's a whole system in place to help kids in your situation."

"I still don't fully understand but okay. Will I be able to receive my allowances from my mom, somehow convert it to wizard money, then deposit it into my account, all from Hogwarts?"

"Yes, you will. All you must do is enclose the money in a letter to Gringotts saying what you want done with the money, then attach the letter to an owl and send the owl here. A few days later, the owl will come back with your receipt with updated account information."

"Oh, I see. So, then it's kind of like online banking only with owls? Why can't we use computers?"

"What are those?"

"They're Muggle machines and they can do a lot of cool stuff."

"Oh. Those things won't work because the high level of magic surrounding Hogwarts would interfere and render them useless. Nearly everywhere else in the wizarding community, too."

"If the school has a lot of magic around it, then what do they give the students for notes and tests?"

"As a general rule, parchment scrolls as paper, and quills and ink to write with. But lately they've allowed the students to use their Muggle things. So long as they don't rely on technology, then it'll work fine."

"Oh, okay. Will I be able to buy more supplies later in the year in the same way as I would deposit money into Gringotts?"

"Yep. It's the same process, except the letter would be addressed to the shop - which is why I recommend keeping a detailed list of the places where you've bought stuff. That way, you can give the owl the right address."

"Will I still be able to use an owl if I don't own one?"

"The school provides a parliament of owls for its students."

"Then maybe I'll get a cat. Are they magic, too?"

"No, they're perfectly average. But people train some of them to do special jobs like seeing-eye dogs who guide the blind. Did you have something like that in mind?"

"Not really. But maybe one who is cuddly and friendly would be best. I'll need someone to cuddle with."

"Yes, I imagine you will. Well, they'll be sold in the pet shop. We'll go there after Gringotts."

"Okay. When do classes start?"

"The Monday after the Sorting Banquet. This year, the first day of class falls on the fourth, so you'll have Saturday and Sunday to explore the castle."

"Oh wow! That's going to be great! Shall we go? I have no more questions right now."

"To Gringotts it is, then." Percy agreed as he smiled and led the way. Amy kept close to him, even dared to clutch his hand, which tightened securely around hers.

It seemed like an eternity had passed before the crowds dispersed as the duo neared the bank. Amy stayed tucked close to Percy's side, using his frame as a shield from the strangers surrounding her. It was a relief when they approached the massive building and Amy couldn't help but slow down to take in the intimidating presence.

The whole building was marble stacked on top of marble, with the columns leaning so far to the side that she thought the building would come tumbling down. They passed under the marble entryway and through the giant bronze doors, and then through a pair of silver ones. Inside, it looked like an ancient, marble...well, bank. The floors were checkered with black-and-white tiles; the walls- surprise, surprise - were the same shade of marble. Aisles ran down the middle with long conjoined desks where these strange men worked, hammering stamps onto papers, weighing gemstones, scribbling in ledger books, or counting strange coins that she could only assume was wizard money.

"Percy, these aren't men, are they?" She asked as they moved down the central aisle. Each one had a strange, wrinkled face on fat heads, impossibly long ears and noses, and short bodies - which Amy got to see as one of them passed next to her.

"No. They're goblins. They're tricky little blighters and it's nearly impossible to steal from them, which is why they make great bank workers. But they're not known for their hospitality or manners so best you stick close to me."

As Percy spoke, one goblin looked up from his desk to meet eyes with her. She felt cold chills run down her spine as she looked into his angry eyes. He growled and displayed a row of sharp, yellow teeth.

"No problem, there." She whimpered, hurrying closer to Percy.

The aisle ended at a single tall desk that towered over Percy's height. Amy couldn't see who sat at the top, but he must be important to have such a lofty desk.

"I have here young Miss Amethyst Rosewood. She wishes to make a transaction." Percy called out to the one behind the desk who leaned over.

"What sort of transaction?" A deep, growling voice answered. There were no greetings, no other questions. Amy got the distinct impression that this guy didn't want to be bothered.

"She wishes to open an account, convert her Muggle money into wizard money, and open a loan with the bank for her school supplies."

"To the right, through the door." A stick of some sort became visible on the right side of the desk, pointing towards a door against the marble wall. Percy led her there and opened the door to let her go through first.

This room was a smaller version of the main room. Marble and oak desks, checkered floors, but there were actual desks. And only twelve of them, each separate from the others. Only a handful of people were here, mostly children with their parents.

"Pick a number." A voice to her left growled suddenly from her left, startling Amy so badly that she ran for Percy's robes and imbedded herself behind him. She peeked out from behind Percy to see a more friendly looking goblin handing her a ticket. She reached out and grasped the red ticket. Percy moved forward, and she followed him, throwing a smile towards the goblin. The number on the ticket read one hundred ninety-two.

"Guest One Hundred Eighty-Seven to desk Eleven." Another voice called out in a deadpan tone, drawing Amy's attention up. Percy had located two chairs while a couple stood and moved to a desk.

_ Only five more guests until I'm called. That shouldn't take long, right? _ Amy thought to herself as she sat down next to Percy. She pulled out her acceptance letter, and every letter she had received since. It was both an exercise to solidify the information in her brain, and also as a comforting place to turn her attention to.

"Why does Hogwarts prefer parchment and quills? Notebooks and pencils would be a lot easier in this day and age."

"They're just old-fashioned. When I went to school there, nothing had been changed since the school's opening eleven-hundred years ago. But at the turn of the century, things started to change. The incoming students started questioning why things were done that way and what they could change to make their experience more modern. When technology advanced, the students wanted to bring their new gadgets to school but the level of magic wouldn't allow it. They weren't happy about their fancy phones suddenly becoming expensive paperweights, but they could bring paper and pencils and pens, instead of relying on scrolls of parchment and quills and dealing with ink spills. So they petitioned to Headmistress McGonagall to allow them to bring modern school supplies that don't rely on technology, and she allowed them."

"I see. And what other changes did they make?"

"I don't rightly know, firsthand. I've heard that they allow the four Houses to mingle now."

"Houses?"

"All first-year students get sorted into four Houses before the banquet. Each House has its own characteristics it looks for in students, and your House is like your family during your time at Hogwarts. You'll eat with them, sleep in the dorms with them, go to classes with them. And all four Houses compete against each other for House Points. At the end of the year, the House with the most Points wins the House Cup."

"That sounds brilliant!"

"It was a big deal during my time there. Originally it showed the losing Houses what they should do differently, I'm sure, but it's just gotten to be something more. Like, tearing down the House in last place and labelling them as the worst House to be in. A decade ago, the students broke away from the pack mentality and saw that the House Cup was doing no favors, and they convinced the other students of what was happening. Hogwarts shouldn't be about rivalries; it should be about coming together, helping each other to learn and explore and grow. Now, no one seems to care that much about the Cup, so the winner for last three years straight has been Ravenclaw; because they're the ones taking part in class, asking and answering questions, making observations, far more in point value than the other classes do good deeds."

"That's sensible. What's Ravenclaw? One of the Houses?"

"It is, actually. The four are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin."

"And each House has a characteristic they chose of their students?"

"Yes, but it's more like a set of personality traits that the student either possesses and doesn't know it, or values that trait above others, or a combination of the two. For example, a bloke I knew was sorted into Gryffindor, but he was afraid of everything and wasn't the best student until he finally came into his own. In his first year, he stood up to his own friends to protect the House from getting into trouble again. That same bloke later killed Lord Voldemort's snake which made Voldemort's death possible; if it hadn't been for him, Harry would have taken on Voldemort again and died."

"Wow! That's incredible! So, this kid went from being the scaredy cat to the bravest of the brave, all because he was sorted into Gryffindor?"

"That's right. Being in a House can also help you gain the traits the House is known for. Slytherin is ambitious and cunning, and they're the counterpart to Gryffindor, the brave, daring, and chivalrous. Hufflepuffs are the loyal and hard-working. Ravenclaws are all about cleverness and creativity. Each House has their own mascot and colors. Gryffindors are the lions, Hufflepuffs are the badgers, Slytherins are the snakes and Ravenclaws are eagles."

"I see what you mean about valuing certain traits over others. I used to love school until my mother demanded straight A's, and all that pressure took the fun out of it. Now I'm a good student because I've learned how. I’d like to think that I'd admire someone who isn't afraid to be themselves, too, so I could easily fit into Ravenclaw. But there is something to be said for ambitiousness and hard work so I could fit into Slytherin or Hufflepuff, too."

"It sounds like you have to choose, but don't worry. I've heard stories where the Sorting Hat had a conversation with the student to determine their House. I'm sure he'll do the same for you."

"Okay. How can you tell one student from a House from another? What's the dress code like?"

"Well, it's mostly the same for all Houses - white button-up shirt, black skirt or trousers, grey socks, black shoes and the like. The outer robes have the House crest, the robe itself is lined with the House color, and your tie and vest will have the colors as well. Slytherin's colors are green and silver, Gryffindor are red and gold, Ravenclaw is blue and bronze, and Hufflepuff is yellow and black."

"I see. And exactly how are students sorted?"

"There's an enchanted hat called The Sorting Hat. They place the Sorting Hat on your head, and it reads your mind to find out which House you'd do best in. Now, if you don't like its choice, you can ask it to reconsider and insist on another House. I know a bloke who did that. The Hat was considering both Gryffindor and Slytherin for him, and he begged not Slytherin. The Hat tried to change his mind but placed him in Gryffindor."

"Okay. So, a creepy old hat gets to read my mind and decides my fate. Lovely."

Percy chuckled. "Put like that, yeah. I didn't even rightfully get it on my head before it Sorted me. My whole family, we're Gryffindors through and through, going back generations. But, boy, was I excited to sit down at that table alongside my two older brothers, and then later with my four youngest siblings."

"That's a big family."

"Yes. Most of my siblings are married now, and the oldest of the kids will be at Hogwarts now. No doubt you'll meet them tomorrow."

"I think I'd like that. I don't have any friends."

"Not to worry, you'll make friends soon enough. And a word of warning. There's a name the more vicious lot of the school will probably call you. It may sound like no big deal to you, but it means a lot in our world. Mudblood. I'm telling you this so you can prepare yourself, okay? It's a foul insult used only for Muggleborns like yourself. But remember that it's just a word, and it doesn't define you. Remember that old rhyme about sticks and stones?"

"I'll keep that in mind. Why is it such a big deal, being Muggleborn?"

"Well, some families like keeping the wizarding community pure of blood. Meaning wizards born into wizard families marry into other wizarding families, with no interbreeding with the Muggles or half-bloods. They think Muggles are stupid, inferior humans and that a Muggleborn doesn't deserve the right to study magic. But it's stupid and backward. There's not a single wizard alive now who is half-blood or less, so there is no true pureblood and no true Muggleborn. Every student at Hogwarts - past, present or future - has at least one wizarding ancestor."

"So, they're prejudiced then?"

"Yes, and it's your generation who are putting a stop to it. It shouldn't matter your blood status. If you've been accepted into Hogwarts, then it's fate, and your family history shouldn't change that in any way."

"You're speaking from experience?"

"Yes. I come from a pureblood family, but we're as humble and kind as the next person. There are families out there, elitists, who sneer at 'blood traitors' like us because we don't care about blood status, and we don't judge a person until we know them."

"I'm sorry, that sounds horrible."

"We got through it all right. They're just words. But, anyway, you should be paying attention. We're almost up."

"Oh, right." She squeaked, turning her attention to the goblins she could see.

Five seconds hadn't yet passed before she heard a goblin growl out her number. She gulped, suddenly nervous, as she stood and followed Percy to the goblin who had called for her. She and Percy sat down in the chairs across from the goblin.

"Amethyst Rosewood wishes to open an account and convert her Muggle money into wizarding coin." Percy said without missing a beat.

"That's you, miss?" The goblin asked, his tone as deadpan and flat as the previous goblin's.

"Yes." She muttered.

"Do you have any identification?"

"I have my primary school ID. Would that work?" She asked, digging into her purse to pull out her wallet, and handed him her card.

"You're starting at Hogwarts this year?"

"Yes."

"Then you'll want a loan?"

"Maybe, if what Muggle money I have won't cover buying the supplies."

"I see. Well, let's open your account first and then do the conversion." The goblin replied, pulling out a sheet of parchment. Looking at her ID, he wrote some things while Amy looked on nervously. Every once in a while, he'd ask a question for her to answer.

Finally, everything was set up. A small card, the same size as her primary school ID, floated toward her. She reached out and accepted it.

"Now you'll need to create your seal. Here's a paper and a pen." The goblin handed her the items. The paper had a large circle on it. "Your seal is your ID of sorts. We use it to verify your identity. It must be unique, just as you are. The circle represents the part of the seal you're customizing. Draw whatever you want. The seal will ultimately be small, so minute, detailed drawings aren't a good idea."

With most of her immediate questions answered, Amy set to work drawing. She started with her initials, AR, in the best calligraphy she could manage. She played around the size and ratio, then she cleaned the lines to make it look better.

Since her initials were the biggest part of her seal, now she could switch her attention to customizing it. But she needed to keep things small. She loves books, and learning. Could she add an image of a pencil, or a pencil and paper, or a book, and make them look good? No, there wasn't enough room for that. She also loved animals! Would a cat look better? Or a pigeon? Or a dog? Where would it go?

The goblin then handed her a replica seal, and Amy was able to see how small the image really was. There definitely wasn't room for anything more than her initials. She handed the seal and her paper back to the goblin.

"Are you sure you want your seal like this? Another witch has these same initials, and her seal looks just like yours. There could easily be a mix-up with identities."

"What else can I do? The seal print is just too small for anything else."

"You can change the shape of the seal." The goblin dug in another drawer and produced another piece of paper, this one printed with a variety of shapes. "These are the choices."

"What shape does that other witch have?"

"A circle."

"Then I choose the heart, please." She accepted the original paper back from the goblin, wrote the note, and then handed both papers back. The goblin looked it over and stamped it.

"Your seal will arrive by owl in two weeks. If you don't like any part of it, send it back with a letter explaining what you want fixed. No charge. Now let's do the conversion. Your Muggle money." The goblin demanded as he held out a hand, using the other to reach into a drawer and pull out a drawstring pouch. She handed him all of her money, notes first and coins on top.

"Percy says that I can send my allowance here for conversion even once I'm at Hogwarts?"

"Yes. Just send an owl with a letter and the money enclosed and we'll take care of it." He didn't even look up when he answered.

The goblin kept on counting her money, using the medieval calculator often and always referring back to it as he counted out three types of coins. She looked down at her Hogwarts ID card and studied it carefully.

It was roughly the same size and thickness as her old card, but there was a lot more detail, and slots to fill in. Her picture was already there, and nothing could have prepared Amy for the sight of her own face smiling and waving back at her.

Most of the slots were blank, except for her name, her year, her physical features.

"Percy?"

"That's your wizarding ID card. Don't worry about the blank slots. They enchant the card to fill in the blanks and change as events unfold. See that slot for your House? That will fill in once you're Sorted, and the card will change. Look at mine." He reached into his wallet and produced a card which he handed to her. His was brilliantly colored - gold and scarlet stripped diagonally, and there was a crest in the right corner with a lion. It was wonderfully complete, and it made hers look wimpy.

"It's pretty. I love those colors."

"Thanks. Maybe you'll get into Gryffindor, too."

"Right. What's he counting?" She asked, referring now to the goblin.

"That's wizarding money. There are only three coins. The gold one is the Galleon, the silver is called a Sickle, and the bronze one is a Knut. There are seventeen Sickles to a Galleon, and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle."

"And you don't have enough money here to buy your supplies without a loan. This first year costs just under one hundred ninety-four Galleons, and you don't have enough Muggle money for that."

"Can I get a loan on such short notice?"

"The bank is very prepared each year for students in your situation. Now, you gave me four hundred sixty-eight pounds which gives you one hundred fifty-five Galleons, five Sickles, and five Knuts. The bank will loan you the thirty-eight Galleons you need, and if you need to add to that loan through the year just send an owl and we'll take care of it."

"Just like that? I'm approved?"

"Yes. As to paying it off, you can get a job starting at age sixteen, but it’s not a requirement. We don't actually require anything from you until you graduate. Whenever you get a job, we'll take a cut of your cheques until the loan is paid off." The goblin explained, writing things down on the paper with her name on it then he waved his finger and a lot of Galleons suddenly floated into the air and landed in a much larger purse.

"I see. Thank you."

"Now, here is your money. You've got 194 Galleons in there, exactly. That should be enough to buy all of your school supplies. If it's not, then come back and we'll give you more within reason. Remember, you must pay all of this back eventually so the more you spend the more will be taken from your cheques, which means less to live on down the road. So don't go buying anything frivolous without careful consideration."

"Of course." She said as she accepted the surprisingly light coin purse and secured it out of sight in her handbag. "Thank you very much."

"Your account is set up, complete with ID and seal, and you have your coins. Is there anything else?"

"No, that's it." Percy replied quickly while Amy thought about it.

"Have a nice day." He drawled, not making eye contact as he waved her floating papers toward a goblin behind a counter against the wall.

Percy led Amy outside, who shuffled along behind him as she put her two ID cards in her wallet.

"The closest shop is the Magical Menagerie. That's where we can get your cat. Are you dead-set on getting a cat? If you're not, you can mull it over while we get everything else."

Amy took a moment to deliberate, already thinking about how much a pet could cost her. Yes, it'll be good for her to have a cat to care for and hold when she was lonely. But would it be better to not spend the money and owe less to Gringotts? And her new schoolwork was bound to be demanding, did she really want to take care of a cat as well? She'd have to change the litter every day, and clean out the box itself routinely, and keep her food and water filled, and play with her, and all sorts of things that would take time away from her studies.

But she's wanted a pet for years, and she's done a lot of research on various species including nutrition and training strategies. She never asked her mother for a pet because she knew the answer would be no, Amy had to focus on her schooling. But now Amy was out from under her mother's thumb, free to make her own choices and learn from her mistakes. So, she decided she was going to get this cat, and she'd love it so much, cuddle it every night, groom it regularly and make sure it knew how loved it is.

"I want a cat. Can we get it now?" She said, looking him in the eyes and speaking in a determined, level voice.

Percy smiled, nodded and led her across the street, gently taking her hand to ensure that she wouldn't get lost in the crowd. It was only a few more steps before he was opening a door for her.

A bell went off above her head, and the comforting sound of kitten mewls, adult meows, and toads croaking filled her ears. Reminded of home, she took a breath and felt her muscles relax as if by magic.

"Welcome to the Magical Menagerie! Percy, so good to see you again!" A voice chirped across the shop. A woman made their way toward them. Amy could see that she was of middle age and her smile was bright, her hair was unkempt, and she had a few wrinkles. But she seemed nice.

"Hello, Hildy. I've got a first year here. Looking for a cat."

"Hello, dearie. We've got an excellent selection of felines that would do perfectly at Hogwarts. Right this way." The lady, Hildy, guided Amy to the next floor of the shop, past the toads and the... whatever those were.

"Do you know what you're looking for, sweetie?" She asked as they approached the cages where the cats were kept.

"Well, just the personality really. I want a cat that is very cuddly and will stick near me during class but independent enough to care for itself."

"Do you have a preference to age or coat color or gender?"

"I don't care about gender and fur so much, only the personality. But I do know I want a kitten so we both go to Hogwarts for the first time together."

"I'm certain we have a kitten you'll like. Wait right here while I fetch our cuddliest kittens." She gestured to a small room, leaving Amy once she was seated on the floor. Hildy closed the door, leaving Amy alone.

In front of her, she could see a plexiglass wall that let her see into another room with a cat tree, but there wasn't anything else to look at. No windows, no clocks, no decorations. Just white walls, and white linoleum floor.

Finally, the door to the cat room opened, and Hildy appeared carrying a basket of kittens. She gingerly took each kitten out of the basket and left it outside the door. Amy watched eagerly as Hildy seemed to deliberate for a moment, then picked up a tortoiseshell and brought it to Amy, careful to keep the other kittens from getting caught in the door.

"Oh, hello, sweetie!" Amy cooed as she reached for the kitten.

"I picked the kittens that are what you wanted, and you're welcome to hold each of them as much as you want, but the hard part falls to you. Picking a partner is no easy task, so trust your instincts and take your time deciding. If you decide you don't want this kitten, I'll put it with the others and grab the next."

Amy nodded and accepted the kitten, speaking quietly to it as it tried to climb her clothes. She held it up to her face and looked deep into its green eyes. Reaching for the same energy she used to speak to her animal friends, she let her mind go quiet.

"Hello, little one." She spoke and the kitten quieted in confusion. "Aren't you adorable! I'm Amy, and I'm going to Hogwarts tomorrow. Hildy says you're very cuddly." The kitten mewled, flashing a pink tongue. "I bet you love being petted, and held, and stroked, hmm?"

The kitten mewled again.

"That's good. But Hogwarts is a big school, and it'll take up a lot of my time. So I won't have time to cater to a very needy kitty. You'll need to care for yourself for most of the day, but I can play with you and spoil you at night. I'd also like my kitten to be with me during class, so you'd need to sit still. Can you do that?"

The kitten was silent for a moment, then mewled sadly.

"I know, it’s a hard thing to admit. You've done well by answering honestly. I'm proud of you." The kitten mewled happily, and Amy nuzzled it, now petting it as a reward.

"Do they have names?" Amy asked Hildy, who had been silently staring.

"Not officially. But I can differentiate two identical kittens, so I know exactly who is who. You can talk to animals, dearie?"

"Yes. This one has admitted it wouldn't be a good fit for me. It’s too hyper to sit in class all day."

"I'll make a note of that. Are you going to ask each kitten those questions?"

"More or less."

"If you could tell me what they say, I'll make notes for each kitten. That information will help me find them better homes."

"I'd be happy to help with that." She nuzzled the kitten again and held it out for Hildy to take. "Can I meet the next one?"

"Of course." Hildy accepted the tortie, and Amy waved goodbye to it, then the older witch brought out the next kitten.

Amy repeated the same process for each kitten, making sure to properly greet and stroke the feline before she asked it her questions. She stayed calm, quiet, and kind to each one, even as her heart dropped when kitten after kitten admitted to not being a good fit. Meanwhile, Hildy had produced a notebook and quill, and had been taking notes on what each kitten had to say. At least Amy was helping to find each kitten a better home, and she was happy with that.

Kitten after kitten was asked and returned. Before Amy knew it, all of the proffered kittens had been asked, and none had been what Amy had been looking for. Was she doing this wrong? Was she being too picky? No. Her magic had helped her make several animal friends, and not one of them was bad. Her magic wasn't the problem. And she was being clear that a lot of her time would be dedicated to her schoolwork and couldn't care for a needy kitten in the way she wanted to. They had all said they were needier than most cats. The problem wasn't her expectations; it was the kittens she'd been offered.

"Can I see where the other kittens are kept? I'd like to see if they are more to my liking, and see them in person."

"Yes, of course." Hildy gathered the kittens in the basket and led Amy down the hallway to the feline wing. She passed a giant room of adult cats, then several large cages with nursing mothers and tiny newborns. The next proper room held every kitten old enough to be away from its mother, and Hildy invited her inside.

The kittens in the basket were only a third of the kittens in the room, ranging from two months to six months in age, and most didn't spare her a glance. Keeping her magic active, she looked from kitten to kitten, and her eyes fell upon a tiny white-and-black tabby female with black half socks and black ears and tailtip. This same cat was assessing her in the same way. They locked eyes, the kitten stayed still for a moment, then padded forward and let Amy pick it up.

"Hello, darling." Amy greeted, starting the process again. "I'm going to Hogwarts tomorrow, and I'd like to bring a cat with me. I'm looking for a kitten who can take care of itself, but is still cuddly, and who can sit still during classes. Do you think you are that kitten?"

The kitten kept eye contact and mewled once, solidly, and affirmatively. That one sound said everything Amy needed to know; she was independent but was devoted and loyal and wouldn't leave her side. She was more intelligent than the other kittens - which Amy had already seen for herself - and was eager to go new places. Her senses were sharper than her siblings', and her mother was a trained witch's assistant. This kitten was her ideal match.

Amy smiled and nodded. "Yes, you are. I'm sorry it took so long to find you." The kitten mewled again, saying every moment had its purpose. "Such a wise kitten. Hildy, I'd like this one."

"That one! Why didn't I think of it earlier? It has always seemed so standoffish to me, it never crossed my mind. I think you've found the perfect cat for yourself. Now, let's head back downstairs and get you sorted with her supplies." Hildy carefully herded the kittens away from the door and let Amy go out first. She waved goodbye to the kittens she'd met, who mewled happily back at her.

"All right then." Hildy sighed. "And since you're a student, you get our complete kitten care package and a kitten travel carrier for free. As a first year, you'll also receive a complete item catalogue, complete with item pictures and descriptions, so reordering supplies will be easier. You'll find the same is true in every shop except Ollivander's." Hildy smiled as she grabbed a basket with assorted cat products inside and led the way back downstairs.

"Oh, thank you! That's very generous, and the catalogues are quite ingenious." Amy smiled as she went over to Percy, gently prying her kitten off her shoulder to hold her up, noticing her deep green eyes. "Isn't she adorable, Percy?"

"Yes, she is! Hello, there, little one." He smiled and petted the kitten who reached her head forward to accept the scratches. "What are you going to name her?"

"I think... Arcane."

"That's an interesting name."

"I gravitate to unusual and rarely used names. What do you think of it?" She asked the kitten, who mewled happily. "Arcane it is. I should go pay for her." She held tiny Arcane close to her chest and hurried to the counter. Hildy had laid the basket and a purple travel carrier out, and now she had her back turned to Amy.

"All cats get a free collar and personalized name tag." Hildy explained as she turned around and laid several collars on the counter. A moment later, an equal number of blank name tags slid to a stop in front of her in a large variety of shapes and colors.

"Really? Oh my gosh, that is so cool!" Amy squeaked excitedly and set Arcane down on the counter. "Which collar would you like, Arcane?" Amy asked, tapping the counter near one collar. Arcane looked at Amy and then at the collars. She paused for a moment, looking between them, and padded over. Deliberately, she placed a paw on the green leather collar. Hildy and Percy laughed, Amy stood there, beaming with pride.

"That's quite an intelligent kitten you picked, Amy. That's good. She'll be a big help during your classes, and she'll be easy to train." Percy explained as Hildy picked up the purple collar.

"Actually, she chose me. Good job, Arcane. Now, which nametag do you like?"

Again, the kitten chose her favorite; a silver heart-shaped tag bordered by green stones. Amy smiled and petted her again. "And she's got great fashion sense, too." She picked up the kitten as Hildy collected the nametag. She set it on a small desk that Amy couldn't see, waved a stick and a quill flew - by itself - to write on the nametag. While the quill was doing its job, Hildy put away the rejected collars and tags. Amy was so confused as she watched the quill move, and Hildy quickly explained.

"The quill is like a Muggle engraving machine. It’s engraving Arcane's name onto the tag." The tag flipped itself over, on cue, and the quill wrote out Amy's given name of Amethyst. "Now it's engraving your name. That way, if Arcane is lost, or the collar comes off, then she can be returned to you."

"How did it know my given name?"

"That's a question that I don't have the answer to. It's one of those that can't be explained, just accepted. That's a beautiful given name. Amethyst."

"Thank you. I love it too. It's just a pain to say every time so I go by Amy a lot."

"I see." Hildy chuckled as she collected the nametag and quickly dipped the whole heart into a clear liquid. "This will keep the tag from becoming damaged." She explained as she attached the tag to its place on Arcane's collar, and then fitted the collar onto the kitten who allowed this to happen. "There we go, now. What a beautiful combination, Arcane." Hildy cooed, scratching Arcane under her chin. "A beautiful outfit for a beautiful girl." Arcane purred loudly, then pulled away and nestled herself into her travel carrier which - Amy noticed - had a pillow.

"Now, something you need to know, dear." Hildy regained Amy's attention easily. "You should keep two bowls, one for water and one for food, and her litterbox in a private place for her - I suggest under your bed because it's close to you when you're in the dormitory. You don't have to worry about changing the litter, or the food and water once you're at Hogwarts; the house-elves do all of that while you're in class. There's also a tower at Hogwarts with more food and treats than they can eat, so she'll be well taken care of if she's not around you. And she can bathe herself and monitor her own weight, so you don't have to worry about grooming her or worry about how much food she's eating. Cats are good at taking care of themselves."

"I see. That's good to know, thank you. Percy said that I'll be sorted into a House where I'll sleep with my other Housemates. Is that area separated from the rest of the school?"

"Yes." Percy chimed in. "It's called a common room, and each House has their own entrance location and ritual."

"Can Arcane get into the common room and my dormitory if I'm not there?"

"Yes." Hildy answered, drawing Amy's attention. "There are secret ways for pets to get where they want to go. Leave it to Arcane, she'll figure it out from watching the other cats."

"Okay. How likely are cats to use a bed? Not just share my bed, but a cat bed?"

"That depends on the cat. If you're there, most likely she'll cuddle with you. If you're not there, then she'll find somewhere to sleep. I think she'd enjoy having that carrier available to her, though. It's a safe place that has her scent already. That pillow should do the trick."

"Thank you. Do you have any books on cats? Not just things that I already know, but things specific to wizarding cats?"

"We do actually. The care package includes our more informative and diverse books."

"Oh, lovely." Amy chuckled. Duh, they're right there in the basket! "Oh! Can I buy some treats? So I can train her."

"There are already some in the package but you'll probably want more since you'll be training. Does brand or price matter more?"

"I just want the healthiest treats in the largest bag. Thanks. I think that's everything."

The witch disappeared into a back room for a few moments, and then came back with a surprisingly large bag.

"Is that everything, dearie? Your kitten, the care package, the collar and engraved tag, and the extra bag of treats total price comes out to four Galleons, eight Sickles and fifteen Knuts."

She gave five Galleons to Hildy and put the rest back in her coin purse.

"That's twelve Sickles and twenty-one Knuts in change." Hildy explained, showing Amy how she came to that conclusion by drawing away four Galleons, and replacing the last Galleon with a bunch of Sickles and Knuts, and then taking away the ones requested in the price and sliding them to Amy, who collected them.

"Thank you so much, Hildy!"

"It's my pleasure, Amy. Have a good year at Hogwarts."

"Thanks!" Percy collected the basket of Arcane's pet supplies, while Amy closed the door of the carrier and carried it out of the shop.

"Where do we go next, Percy?" She asked, visibly more excited.

"The closest shop now is Flourish and Blotts, right there across the street. That's where you can get your schoolbooks."

"Well, then we should go there." She said as she checked both ways - mostly out of habit - and made a beeline for the door, weaving easily between people who blocked her way. She was carrying Arcane in her dominant hand, so she used her hips to push open the door.

Inside, it was a simple - if overcrowded and disorganized - bookstore. Books everywhere, in every nook and cranny, piled on top of each other, bookshelves loaded past capacity and stacked far too tall. And for every bookstack, she was sure there was at least one person. It was a nightmare. How was she going to find what she needed? She used her left hand to dig out her letter and read over the titles again as Percy came up behind her.

"You don't need that. See that counter over there?" He nodded towards a line of workers at the far end of the shop, each smiling and handing off bunches of books and counting change. "They've got books organized for each year behind their counters. Tell them what year you are, and what condition you want your books to be in - new or used - they'll fetch the right bundle. Used books are still fit for daily use, and they're cheaper, but they may be slightly damaged or written in."

"Oh, great! Thanks, Percy. Would you mind waiting here with Arcane?"

"She'll be safe with me."

"Thank you!" She smiled and gently set Arcane's carrier down at his feet once he had moved to the side, away from the main door. With Arcane safe with her friend, Amy stepped into the single line, which branched at the head between the five cashiers.

It was about twenty minutes before Amy was called to a register, and Percy was right. All she had to do was say that she was a first year, and that she wanted her books to be used, and the employee - a gentleman by the name of Tosha - produced a bundle of books that exactly matched the titles on her letter. She quickly produced the Galleons necessary and watched as Tosha walked her through his math to find her change. Amy wasn't sure that she'd ever get the hang of using this strange currency system, but she was sure as heck going to try.

She thanked Tosha for his help, grabbed her books and headed back to Percy. Someone had given him a cart, and he had already placed Arcane's supplies on it. He took the books while Amy picked up Arcane's carrier. The kitten opened her eyes, smiled at Amy and then went right back to sleep.

"Will the other shops be this easy?" Amy asked as she followed him to the next shop farther down the street.

"Probably. The shopkeepers have had a lot of time to make processes more efficient so that the customers aren't waiting as long. "

"I see. Where are we going next?"

"To get your robes."

"But I haven't been Sorted yet. How can I get House-specific robes if I haven't been Sorted?"

"Not to worry. You'll be getting Madam Malkin's black robes to wear for the first night. The house-elves will have a House robe ready for you, and you'll wear those to class. Meanwhile, the black robes are sent back to Madam Malkin."

"Oh. That seems like a waste of money, though. Can I opt not to buy the top robe since I will wear it for only a few hours?"

"Hogwarts is very strict about the dress code. You have to wear it. But, thankfully, Madam Malkin doesn't charge much for the top robe, just normal wear and tear. It won't amount to much. Most of the cost will be for the uniform shirts, skirts, and the reservation for the House socks and tie, and your uniform will be tailored to fit you. Because of this, robes are quite expensive, but they'll arrive in the mail in about a week. The house-elves will leave you with the robes you'll need each day, usually a tad bigger or smaller but usable, until yours come in."

"Okay then." Amy sighed, now nervous. She was trying to not waste money. But there was nothing she could do. She didn't want to break any school rules, so she needed to follow the dress code, even if it ended up costing her money. They might expel her if she causes trouble, and she really didn't want that.

Suddenly, a sign caught her attention. She read it and used her left hand to grab for Percy's sleeve. "Can we check this shop out first?"

"The stationary shop. Sure, we can." Percy adjusted the cart's path and Amy opened the door for him.

The inside of the shop reminded Amy of Flourish and Blotts. It was bigger than it seemed, organized, and there was a bustle of activity. Besides the customers flocking around, things were on the move from one side of the shop to another. Papers flew everywhere and sorted themselves where they belonged, books went from person to person. Amy caught sight of something fascinating and moved closer.

There was a pile of paper on each side of a long wooden desk, and another two piles in the center, and they were paired with equally-large stacks of loose-leaf hole-reinforcement stickers.

One paper at a time from each pile moved towards the center. As they did, reinforcements came together on each side, and then the page settled onto a stack perched on some clear plastic at the front of the desk, near Amy and the other onlookers. As Amy drew close, she read the tags that identified each product. The stack of paper closest to her was a stack of college ruled, lined paper. By looking around, she also found wide-ruled, graph and blank papers. As she watched, the paper floated onto the college-ruled stack and the whole leaf was enclosed by the plastic wrap neatly and closely. As soon as it finished closing, the leaf levitated and moved upstairs - presumably to its place on a shelf.

"Okay, this is cool." Amy muttered as she looked around more, following each floating object about its course. She followed the college-ruled stack upstairs and plucked a few reams from the shelf, along with a ream of reinforced graph paper. Just as she thought about fetching a basket, one approached her and offered its space for her. She grabbed the basket and carefully placed the reams inside. She looked around a bit more, finding the upstairs was mostly dominated by the Muggle things she was used to, pencils, modern pens, fountain pens, various papers in lots of different styles, and nearly any notebook ever made. She moved closer to the notebooks, singled out her favorite style - spiral bound with a firm, solid colored cover - and carefully calculated which size was most cost-effective.

When she finally found the notebook she wanted, she grabbed one notebook in each color until she had eight spiral-bound notebooks; seven were college-ruled, and one held graph-paper. She also grabbed a few small notebooks that she always kept in her pocket - she had one more notebook packed away in her trunk and the one she had now was almost gone.

She moved one aisle over and found a multitude of agendas, which- she had just realized - she hadn't replaced yet. She looked at each option carefully, hoping to find one that was simple, ran from September to June, and had large daily areas so she could fit in a lot of information for each day. She found several year-specific agendas she liked but they were all quite expensive. So she continued exploring and found the planners on the opposite side of the aisle. These were unmarked except for the days of the week and were refillable and sturdy. She grabbed a purple leather planner and three packets of paper and placed them in the basket.

With her exploration of the familiar things complete, she ventured downstairs and into the wizarding section of the store. She started on the wall that was opposite from the door and made her way through the shelves, toward Percy. She studied each item with fascination but passed by them, her needs for school supplies filled, but she was entranced in the fifth aisle which was labelled 'Quills'. This aisle was split into two shelves, one on each side. One side had quills that varied in size and species of bird, but were ordinary quills. The other side were equal in variance but were enchanted to move and follow directions. A display case in the center of the Moving aisle held each quill as it went about its work, scribbling on parchment that rolled continuously into the display to be scratched on before eventually disappearing out of sight. On the pegs surrounding the case, quills ready for sale hung with their tags easily visible. Amy found herself drawn to a Quik Notes Quill, neatly scratching its description on the parchment.

_ Want to pass your classes but hate taking notes yourself? Don't want to rely on your friends to share their notes with you? Want to pay attention to the meeting without getting distracted? Then this is your new best friend! This quill is specially enchanted to takes notes so you don't have to! Just set the quill on your desk and once the lecture or meeting starts, the quill will spring to life and take perfect, crystal clear notes that you can refer to later, and it will automatically stop writing once the lecture is over. All without human intervention! It supplies its own ink so you can forget about buying ink that can spill everywhere and make a mess. And you can change what color ink it uses and under certain conditions or sections of the notes. You can also change the style of notes it writes! Don't like outlines? Change it to Cornell! Don't like Cornell? Try freestyle! The quill adapts itself to your learning strategies, so it's ideal for students! Only fifteen Galleons! _

It skipped a paragraph before it began its pitch anew.

"Percy, look at this!" Amy called to her friend, waving her hand to get his attention. He made his way to her, weaving through the crowd. "Look! It's a note-taking quill. The tag says it takes notes by itself. Isn't that cool!"

"It's very cool, and it can be very helpful. But it's also expensive, enough to buy another three kittens. You don't have enough money for this; only for the basic supplies. So if you want to buy it, think about it carefully because that'll mean another trip to Gringotts and waiting in that room for an hour again."

"Oh, yeah. I guess so. But wouldn't it be worth it?"

"Perhaps. I've never used this. I always took my own notes so I never needed a quill that does it for me."

"I see what you mean, Percy. There is something to be said for handwriting your notes, I've done it myself my whole life and I plan to continue that. But if I've only got seven years to learn everything I can about this new world, then I need all the help I can get. And a quill that takes notes for me will let me focus on the lecture instead of worrying about how I'm formatting my notes which will be instrumental in my study sessions later. And, at the end of the year, I still plan on handwriting every piece of my notes into these notebooks to help me study for finals and to keep for future reference. But I can't copy notes that I write in haste in a class that I don't understand. I need the quill to make everything legible and clear."

"Okay. If it means that much to you, then get it. Because what it boils down to is it's your education at stake, and it's your money. The choice is yours. I'm just trying to give you some real-world experience."

"I understand and thank you for that. I'm not going to buy it, or this paper, right this minute. I want to get the rest of my things first and make a list of what I'd like to buy. We can go back to Gringotts once I have a solid idea on how much money I'm asking for, from this shop and the others."

"That's a good way to handle it. Do you have some paper with you?"

"I always carry around a small notebook and a pen." She replied, handing Arcane to Percy and digging into her purse. She produced a small notebook nearly out of pages, and a black pen. She wrote the quill, the notebooks and paper reams, the price accompanied by each item and the shop. Then she put the quill in the basket and continued her search, looking for any other things that might help her with school.

She found a lot of fascinating things, like quill sharpeners, and wax and ink of infinite colors. But with everything she had bought before today, and the general lack of use she'd get from a quill or wax stick, she decided to only get one purple wax stick for her letters and recorded its information in her notebook. Once she verbalized, she was done looking, the basket floated away to the side of the registers with her name on it, content to wait until she returned.

The next stop was Madam Malkin's Robes, found across the street a bit farther down.

"You've already explained about the dress code and the differences in the robes between the Houses." Amy turned to Percy, drawing his attention while she slipped through the door he held open for her. "What else is there? Will I have to do my laundry? How many days a week do I need to wear the robes and when can I wear my casual clothes? Stuff like that."

"Well, you only need to wear your robes during class. You can wear your casual clothes if you're done with classes for the day or if it's a school break. House-elves collect your dirty laundry while you're asleep, and then they'll wash and return them. You'll have your own basket with your name on it to put them in so that the dormitory doesn't get messy."

"I see. That's a lot of work for the house-elves, don't you think? They take care of the pets, the laundry, cook the meals, and who knows what else."

"Yes, but there's a lot of them working together, and they're happy to do the work. It's a symbiotic relationship; the house-elves love to work, and the school needs a lot of bodies to take care of the students."

Before Amy could ask another question, they called her to the back room. She left her things with Percy and followed the witch through a door on the right side of the shop. She found herself in a large room with three platforms in the middle, the wall opposite her held several closets, and lined against the wall behind her were other witches waiting for their orders. Adult and teenage witches bustled around, some collecting measurements from the two witches on the other platforms, and some digging in the closets. The witch Amy was following guided her to a platform and helped her step up. A floating quill took notes while a floating measuring tape measured every inch of her, her legs, her waist, her arms, her neck, her shoulders, even down to her feet. The witch took the parchment, briskly told her to sit in a chair and wait before she scurried to one of the closets. Never feeling more like she was one in a crowd, Amy found a seat and patiently waited, watching the witch as she went about her job. Eventually, the witch picked up a bundle, looked it over, and made her way back to Amy, who stood to greet the witch. The bundle was shoved roughly into her arms and she was herded out the door to the registers, while she heard the witch call another girl's name. At least she didn't have to wait long to pay for her clothes. There wasn't much of a line, and there were five cashiers who did their job quickly, cutting the line down.

Once her robes were paid for - nearly one hundred and twenty Galleons! - she placed them on top of her books, picked up Arcane's cage and followed Percy out the door, eager to put this shop behind her.

Before Lord Voldemort's attack on Diagon Alley twenty years ago, this shop was two. But when they were two of many destroyed, the owners - like others - decided to band together and rebuild under one name- Apothecary and Astronomy. This is where she'd find her supplies for Potions and Astronomy classes. Her visit was mercifully brief; she was so intimidated by everything around and she had absolutely no clue about any of the items she saw. She was relieved to find that - like her books and clothes - everything she needed was neatly bundled, and all she had to do was choose between glass or crystal vials. Once she had, she got a bundle of cauldron, telescope, vials, and scales at the register much like at Flourish and Blotts. She gave up the Galleons, accepted the meager change and followed Percy to the last stop, Ollivander's, to get her wand.

Unlike most first-years, it seemed, she wasn't very excited about buying her own magic stick. She might as well walk up to a tree and pluck one of its branches. She was much more happy with Arcane, the quill and her notebooks. But she needed a wand, and Percy tried to convince her it was a special occasion. Like Arcane, the wand would choose her, and it would say a lot about her personality. It would also be her most valuable tool as a witch.

But upon walking through the door, it was clear quickly that this was indeed something special. The shop, rebuilt since the attack nineteen years ago, was supposedly bigger than it used to be, and more organized than Percy seemed to recall. He greeted an elderly wizard like an old friend - the shopkeeper Ollivander - and he was also friendly to her. As a tape measure whizzed around her, Amy answered questions that Ollivander gave on a parchment paper. She was told to not think, go with her gut. She didn't understand what questions about ideal habitats and favorite seasons had to do with finding her wand, but she didn't argue. While she was doing all of this, she barely knew of Percy taking Arcane's cage and settling into a chair.

Once she was done, the parchment changed to show a wand, but she only had a split second to see it before it flew to Ollivander. He read it and took off for an aisle in the back, muttering to himself. After a bit of bustling around and hearing a few dozen boxes crash to the ground, he reappeared with an armful of boxes. He set them on the desk in front of her, opened one and handed the wand to her. She tried to take it, but the moment her skin touched it, it zapped her. She pulled her hand back as Ollivander hastily put the wand away and stuck it under the desk, and then he handed her another one. This one didn't react adversely to her, or at all. It felt like a stick. She looked at Ollivander, confused.

"Try giving it a wave." He said, and she did. The result: feathers exploding out of a box on the opposite wall. Ollivander took back the wand and gave her a third. This time, she felt a buzz where the wand touched her skin. She gave it a wave and shattered a vase. She all but dropped the wand in her surprise and hastily returned it to the wandmaker.

The clock moved forward an hour and a half, and Ollivander had about run through his third pile of wands. He handed a wand to Amy who just didn't care anymore. She was bored and sick of giving back wands that rejected her and making a mess of the shop. She just wanted to get out of here and put this humiliating experience behind her. Arcane's mewling showed that her kitten felt the same way, the loud noises strained Arcane's nerves.

The next wand he gave her differed from the dozens of others, Amy could tell. This one felt warm and familiar, more like a companion than a tool. It was not perfect, knotted like an old bough but balanced in weight, comfortably long and sturdy; it seemed up for any task that Amy had for it. She gave the wand a lazy wave, and a wilting rose bloomed. Just like that, she understood the importance of a wand and how special each one was. Excitement grew in her heart.

Ollivander nodded and handed Amy the wand's box which had a note, and a card that gave the wand's information; 'Larch wood, unicorn hair core, 10 inches, slightly yielding'. Amy gently placed her wand in its box and gave it to Percy, then she dug out the Galleons to pay for it, for once glad to part with the precious gold coins. She thanked Ollivander and followed Percy outside, taking up Arcane's cage and her boxed wand.

"What else do we need, Percy?"

"Now, we head back to Gringotts."

"Yes, let's do that."

Since it was so late in the day, the bank had emptied; they didn't need to wait nearly as long as before. She produced the list to show the goblin what she intended to spend the money on, and explained why she needed each item. The goblin quickly drew out the coins she needed - plus a few Galleons for candy on the train - and wrote the transaction on a paper. And just like that, she was on her way back to the writing shop.

She plucked her basket off the ground and stood in the short line. She gave the cashier the golden coins, received her change and her bagged items, and followed Percy out the door with the bag in her left hand.

"Do we have anymore shopping to do?"

"Nope, we're done. Now we can head back to the House." Percy led her away from Diagon Alley, back toward the Leaky Cauldron. But before they entered the cafe, Percy stopped and produced a bookbag. As Amy watched, he carefully placed each item on her cart into the bag, including Arcane's bag of treats, the bag from the stationary shop, and the cauldron. How was the bag able to fit all of that without any physical changes?

"Now you'll be able to easily carry it on the broomstick. We'll leave the cart here, someone will collect it soon."

Percy then led her through the Leaky Cauldron and helped her secure Arcane's carrier to her broomstick. She mounted the broom and hovered in the air gently, waiting for Percy to join her. Arcane mewled pitifully and pawed at her cage door, but Amy leaned forward to put her hand near the carrier to reassure Arcane everything was all right.

The flight back to the House seemed longer than the trip to Diagon Alley; Amy was exhausted from the excitement, and simply wanted to get back, eat dinner and go to bed. But she still needed to pack her things into her trunk, get Arcane situated, and take a shower.

Finally, they touched down next to the House. They stowed their brooms and hurried inside. Amy was assaulted by the smells of dinner; something with beef and tomato sauce.

"Oh, Amy. You're back." Ginny greeted her. "Dinner's ready. I'll dish up a plate for you while you get settled."

"Thank you." She replied as she turned to Percy. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Of course, he is. Right, Percy?" Ginny asked her brother pointedly, her hands on her hips and glaring daggers.

"Yes, I am. But I'll have to leave right after. You've got everything you'll need for tomorrow so my job here is done. Now, your food's getting cold. Go unpack and I'll see you at the table."

Amy hurried upstairs, sticking close to the walls when student after student came thundering down. Only Mary seemed to realize she was there and said hello as she passed her.

Now in her bedroom, Amy quickly unpacked the bookbag Percy had lent her, starting with Arcane's bowls and litter pan. Once they were ready, she let Arcane out to allow her to eat. Then Amy turned her attention to her new school supplies, and carefully repacked everything in her trunk, with her clothes and precious wand on top. While she was in there, she grabbed her shower toiletries bag and left them on her desk, ready when she came back from dinner.

With the backpack empty and Arcane taken care of, Amy raced downstairs to eat. Tonight's dinner was meatloaf - her favorite.

After a filling and rewarding dinner, Amy and Mary raced back upstairs to grab their shower supplies.

The bathroom, Amy found out, was just as spacious as the bedrooms. There were three sets of small showers, with both a sliding door and a bright blue curtain, three toilets nestled in private nooks, and three sinks. Even so, there was plenty of space to walk, dress, or undress. The walls were painted in a bright yellow, the tiles were a sparkling white, the countertops were white with black speckled granite, and each girl had a simple white basket with her own name, big enough to fit all her toiletries. Amy frowned that she wouldn't get to use hers, they shouldn't have even prepared one for her. But she was touched that they had thought of her.

Amy quickly entered one of the showers. When she came out, she truly felt ready for bed. She tidied up, donned in her pajamas, and went back to her room. She put away her toiletry bag, draped her towel over her trunk to let it dry, and lifted Arcane onto the mattress. She climbed up the ladder slowly - she'd never had a loft bed before; she didn't quite know how to feel about it - and finally settled herself under the covers. Arcane nestled under her chin and purred soothingly, lulling Amy into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter Three

"Amy. Amy, wake up." Amy groaned and dug herself deeper into the comfort of her surprisingly blissful mattress. "Get up. We gotta get ready for breakfast."

"What?" Amy groaned, turning to face away from Mary and burrowing deeper into her covers.

"Come on. Breakfast...then Hogwarts..."

"Hogwarts? What's -" Amy moaned again then gasped and sat upright so quickly she startled Mary. "HOGWARTS?!"

"That did it." Mary muttered to herself as she jumped from the second rung to the floor, allowing Amy to scramble out of bed. Amy looked around for Arcane and saw her jumping from Mary's outstretched arms. "I'm gonna take a shower before breakfast. You should, too. According to the older students, we won't feel up to wandering around looking for the bathrooms after we get to the common room. We're leaving for the Hogwarts Express after we eat. Oh, and better wear your Muggle clothes so we blend in. And don't worry about making the bed. The sheets are getting washed anyway and it'll only give Kreacher more work."

"Got it." Amy muttered as she carefully removed the covers from her legs as she awkwardly made her descent. She deliberated on taking the shower Mary had suggested but decided the washing would dry her hair out too much - she'd take a shower tomorrow morning before class, and then shift back to her nightly shower routine the following night.

She dressed quickly and checked on Arcane, finding her perfectly content with her bowl of food. Amy busied herself with double checking everything was packed and cushioned. Once Arcane had eaten and drunk her fill, and used the litter box, Amy cleaned everything and packed it in the suitcase. Amy thanked herself for putting a bag underneath the thin layer of litter so the box itself wasn't dirty.

Arcane then settled herself into her carrier to wait for departure, and Amy finally made her way downstairs when the bell rang.

Breakfast was absolutely crazy. Students bustled around, snatching food from plates above their sleepy classmates. Conversation buzzed loudly from everyone except the first years. Many of them - Amy noticed - were bundled together and silent as they chewed slowly. She picked a seat and sat down and managed to snag a small pile of bacon and eggs and a goblet of orange juice. Like her classmates, she was silent.

Despite her classmates' lack of energy, breakfast eventually passed and the children bustled upstairs to finish packing and bring their things downstairs. Amy secured Arcane in her carrier and brought her trunk downstairs, just in time to greet some new arrivals.

"Oh, Amy!" Ginny greeted her as she came down the stairs. "I'd like you to meet someone. You'll be seeing a lot of them over the years." Ginny motioned to the group of two adults and five kids. Amy also saw Percy nearby. "This is my brother, Ron, and his wife Hermione, and their kids Rose and Hugo."

Rose and Hugo both waved but the other three kids did not. "And these are mine and Harry's children, James, Albus and Lily Luna. Rose and Albus are in your year, James is in his third year now, and Hugo and Lily Luna will be starting Hogwarts next year. They're all travelling with us to King's Cross."

"Hello! I'm Amy Rosewood." Amy greeted cheerfully. James looked entirely disinterested and struggled to keep his eyes open. Albus, however, smiled warmly, and Lily Luna hid behind her eldest brother.

"Ron, Hermione and Percy are going to help Harry and I keep everyone together. We do have a very large group, you know."

In the end, everyone was outside and mounting their brooms twenty minutes earlier than anticipated. The five newcomers had their own brooms, and Amy was able to reclaim the broom she had ridden yesterday. With Harry's watchful eye that seemed to not miss a thing, Ginny's sharp commands, and Hermione's gentle nudges, every student was soon mounted and in the air. Harry took charge and led the group, while Percy took up the rear and the other adults fanned out to surround the children. The older kids also seemed to herd the younger students - including Amy and her friends - toward the center. Well, except James. He seemed to have a mischievous side and loved to test his family's boundaries. But, according to Mary, he had grown up practically glued to a broom and had skills to match his talent so the adults let him and Rose get away with more than they would with the other children. Which made sense because, Mary said, James was Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, like both his parents and his grandfather. Amy didn't understand was Quidditch was or the role of the Seeker, but now wasn't a good time to ask. There would be time for that when she wasn't perched precariously on a broom that responded to every touch, her precious kitten dozing in her carrier hanging off the handle.

Finally, after a short flight, they touched down and stowed their brooms across the street at the Leaky Cauldron, then carefully made their way to King's Cross Station. Harry allowed the older students to run ahead, making it clear the seventh years were in charge. But the first and second years stayed with the adults. This way, Mary guessed, the older students could get themselves settled on the train and the younger students wouldn't be caught in a large group that could attract Muggle attention.

When they got close enough, the students transferred their trunks and things to carts so they wouldn't carry them the whole way.

  
"All right, everyone, here we go." Harry grabbed the group's attention as they neared platforms nine and ten. Harry patted his oldest on the shoulder. "Why don't you show them how it's done, James?"

  
James nodded at his father, moved over so he was lined up with the barrier and against the pillar at his back. He adjusted his grip on his cart and started running.  
Running....at the barrier? At the barrier?! Bloody hell, he's gonna crash!  
"Percy!" Amy whispered, tugging on Percy's sleeve. Right before her eyes, James disappeared. Into thin air. He actually passed through the bricks. What the heck?!!  
"I know, Amy. It's okay. This is how we get onto the platform for the Hogwarts Express. Keeps it hidden from Muggles."

  
"All right." Harry spoke again, unaware of Amy's panicking and the collective breath that was held by the Muggleborn students. "Albus, Rose, why don't you two go next? Then Hugo and Lily."

One by one, their group disappeared behind the brick walls with nary a sound, hitch or strange look from the surrounding Muggles.

  
Harry sighed as he watched his daughter disappear. He turned back to the newcomers. "Let's partner up." Amy clutched herself closer to Percy with a simple grab to his sleeve. Harry stood beside Evangeline, Hermione with Mary, Ron with Jones and Ginny with Tony. Five adults, five children. "Percy, Amy, you first."

  
Amy maneuvered the cart into position, barely aware of what she was doing. Staring at the brick wall in front of her, fear began to rise. Her heart raced, her breathing became quick and shallow. Every instinct she had was telling her not to do this; she'd crash, and then she and Arcane would be hurt. But she had to do this if she wanted to get to Hogwarts.   
There's no way! Its a brick wall! She can't just disappear into it, she'll crash.

  
But Hogwarts.   
Brick. Wall!

  
Amy closed her eyes to erase the barrier from her sight while she continued to wrangle with her instincts. She felt a hand on her shoulder and then a whispering, calm voice.  
"Breathe, Amy." Harry again, his tone carrying empathy. Immediately, she felt her heart calm down and her breathing gentle. "I was raised by Muggles, too. I know how scary this is. But it'll be okay." She felt Harry's hands come to either side of hers on the cart, his arms spread around her to give her space but he was still close enough to reassure her she wasn't alone.   
He was helping her. "Keep your eyes closed. I'll tell you when we're on the other side."

  
"I'm okay now; I can open my eyes. But please don't leave." She opened her eyes and looked at the barrier again. There was no fear now, her thoughts, her heart and her instincts were back under her control.

  
"I'm right here with you, Amy. Ready?"

  
"Let's go." Amy pushed the cart with all her weight, but it couldn't move; it was stuck in a crack. Harry lent his weight , they rocked the cart backward, shoved it forward and got it rolling. Faster now. Faster. Faster. She was running headlong towards the barrier, Arcane mewling in disapproval. Closer. Closer. Nearly there. Arcane yowling in fear. They're gonna crash!

  
And then nothing. Pure darkness. Two more strides and then the darkness gave way to light, bricks, and a train whistle blowing and chattering. Harry expertly guided the cart to the left, then a right and down the platform to the other children. They'd made it through! They'd made it! They were on Platform Nine and Three Quarters!

  
Harry let go to let Amy drift to a stop on her own. Rose and Lily came running up to her, congratulating her on making it onto the platform. Amy heard Arcane mewl and then felt a thump on the cage. She checked on her cat to find her asleep on her pillow. Poor thing must have fainted.

  
"Amy!" She twisted to find Evangeline and Percy came around the turn. "That was so wild!"

  
"Wasn't it?! Glad you made it! Were you scared, too?"

  
"Not after watching you go. You were more scared than I was and you got through fine."

  
"Thanks to Harry. Otherwise I would have panicked and run back home."

  
Another voice came from behind her. It was Tony and Ginny. Tony joined the group to add his experience as Ginny made her way to her husband, the adults hovering near the growing pile of children.

  
Next to come through was Ron and Jones. then finally Hermione and Mary.

  
"The train leaves in a half an hour." Harry gained the children's attention. "Let's get the carts to the baggage area."

  
"Oh, can I keep Arcane with me on the train?" Amy asked of the adults.  
"Yes, you can. " Hermione answered. "Just keep her crate with you on the train and put it with your baggage when you disembark."

  
"This way to baggage." Percy led the way, taking point position as the other adults herded the children along in a single-file line. During the walk, he handed Amy her train ticket and she tucked it into her pocket.

  
The baggage area, turns out, was on the extreme opposite side of the train, right on the edge of the concrete. The children dropped their carts off on the fringes of the area, and Percy helped her unload her things, making sure each item was marked with her name. Someone reached for her things and Amy quickly dug out a set of her uniform, her wand, and Arcane's travel cage. With the items she needed safely secured, she dashed back to join Percy.  
They pulled the cart to the side of the platform and the group began to make their way toward the front when Rose grabbed her attention. She pointed to a family of blondes, two parents and a son with almost-white-blond hair that was severely gelled into place. Amy didn't like the attitude the parents were giving off, and the sneers the husband gave their small group. The sheer disgust in her face made Amy shrink away, hiding herself slightly behind Percy.

  
"That's the Malfoys. Draco, Astoria and Scorpius. Scorpius is in our year. Both Astoria and Draco were in Slytherin, both families were for centuries. No doubt Scorpius will be as well."

  
"Why do they look so mean?"

  
"Because they're purebloods and they're rich. Think they're better than everyone else."

  
"Percy told me about people like them."

  
"Dad wants me to compete with Scorpius for smartest wizard in our year, like how Mom competed against Draco." Rose said as she came up beside them.

  
"Really? Did your mom win?"

  
"For their gender's rankings, yes, but they always tied for the general rankings. There's lots of bad blood between our families."

  
"That's awful. I didn't see any of that sneer in Scorpius. Maybe we can be friends."

  
"Maybe. I wouldn't hold my breath, though. In the wizarding world, the children are often the same as their parents. Come on. We should get aboard and find our seats." Rose guided her towards an open door about halfway down the train. The rest of the group was already forming a line to board.

  
Amy nodded, looking around and noticed all of the black, first year robes students were slipping on. "This is gonna be a big class, huh?"

  
"Your class is a bit smaller than usual." James explained from a nearby window. "Most classes are two hundred strong. Sometimes as big as five hundred, I've heard. Haven't seen it, though. Find a seat on the benches during the Sorting because you'll be standing for quite a while."

  
"Er, right." Bloody hell.

  
"James, stop scaring her!" Rose reprimanded. "Don't listen to him. It's just like graduation from primary school. You stand in line and wait for your name to be called."

  
Amy laughed nervously, turning back towards the adults. Most of them were there, but Harry was talking to Albus. She found Percy and turned back to her new friends. "I'll be right back." Then she let go of the train and raced to Percy to hug him. He accepted her hug and bent down to hear her. "Thanks for everything, Percy! I promise I'm going to study hard and be a good witch."

  
"Don't forget to have fun."

  
"Right!" The train whistle blew; fifteen minute warning. She gave Percy one more squeeze, and then gave a special wave to the other adults, thanking Harry especially for his help with the barrier. They waved back and she hurried aboard, following Rose to a compartment the group had managed to snag.

  
Maximum capacity was reached so Amy closed the door and let Arcane out of her cage to walk around and greet everyone. The little kitten was an instant hit. She got plenty of scratches and strokes from every one, which she really loved. But it was also a lot of activity so it wasn't long before she finally came back to rest on her witch's shoulder just as the train began to move. The Potter-Weasleys stood to wave goodbye to their family, while the Muggleborns stayed seated. They only sat down when King's Cross was out of sight.

  
King's Cross. London. Out of sight. Bloody hell, she was really going. This is real.

  
"We're really on our way." She whispered mostly to herself. But Rose heard.

  
"Yeah, we are. I still can't believe it yet myself. How are you five holding up?" She asked.

  
"Bloody hell." Amy padded her pocket and pulled out her wand. She stared at it in amazement, the physical representation of the life she was embarking on. "We're on our way to Hogwarts."

  
"Yeah, we are." Tony chimed in, grabbing his own wand. The other three Muggleborns did the same.

  
Mary chimed in next. "A special school for special kids."

  
The twins. "A whole year away from our parents, responsible for ourselves."

  
Rose next. "Going to class to learn about potions and magical animals and spells."

  
"Making friends and probably an enemy or two." Back to Amy.

  
Albus last. "This is going to be great."

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each absorbing the turn in their lives. Adjusting, accepting. Then they broke out laughing raucously. Finally, James stood, which grabbed everyone's attention. With no more laughter, they could hear a voice down the hallway asking for tickets.

  
"The conductor." James explained casually as he fished a hand into his pocket. "Everyone got your tickets?" He held his up, prompting the other kids to search for theirs.

  
"I've got mine." Amy pulled out hers quickly. A moment later, everyone else displayed their tickets. The conductor was a room away now, so Amy opened the door after instructing Arcane to stay on her shoulder.

  
A few minutes later, the conductor had checked everyone's tickets and ambled on his way.   
"Well," James stood and grabbed his knapsack. "I'm going to go changed, get it out of the way."

  
"Oh, are the girls' lavatories that way as well?" Amy asked, reaching for her robes.

  
"Yeah, they are. Come on, I'll show all of you. That way you can find it yourself."

  
"Oh, James." Rose scolded her cousin. "We're not being that much of a bother."

  
"No, but I haven't seen my friends all summer. I'm going to go find them. Can't do that with all of you hanging on me, now can I?" He opened the door and briskly led the way to the lavatories, leaving the first years to follow him.

Ten minutes later, the first years returned. James had met up with his buddies which essentially left the first years on their own. But Amy didn't mind much. She wasn't used to having so many kids to talk to and she enjoyed getting to know everyone. That is, until a certain platinum blond came knocking. She recognized Scorpius Malfoy through the clear glass window easily; she didn't know any boy who gelled his hair back that severely. Rose asked her not to open the door, but Albus and Amy disagreed with her. They had no reason to not be nice to him, so Amy opened the door.

  
"Good morning. I saw you on the platform." Scorpius said, extending his hand. "I'm Scorpius Malfoy. Nice to meet you."

  
"Hi, I'm Amy." She shook his hand with a smile. "This is Albus, Rose, Mary, the twins Jones and Evangeline, and Tony. And my kitten, Arcane." Arcane mewled. "Would you like to join us? We have an extra spot."

  
"Sure, thank you." He nodded and Amy moved over so he could enter the compartment. While Scorpius shook hands with everyone, Amy moved her things to the overhead compartment when Rose plastered herself against the wall. Scorpius sat down next to Amy and Arcane came out of hiding to accept the petting he offered.

  
"She's a good cat." Scorpius said nonchalantly.

  
"Thanks. So, you're a first year too. Are you excited about going to Hogwarts?"

  
"Yeah, I am. Rose, Albus," He gained their attention. Rose barely looked his way, while Albus gave him all of the attention. "I know how our fathers got along, or didn't. And I just wanted to say that just because our dads weren't best mates, that doesn't mean that we can't be."

  
"Would it interest you to know that these five," Rose gestured to Amy and the other four. "are Muggleborn?"

  
"I don't care about that. I don't think like my father does. Anyone who has magic deserves to learn, regardless of blood status." He replied immediately. "My father is a prat. I'm not going to grow up to be like him."

  
"Well," Albus was next to speak. "In my book, you're already better than he is. Let's be friends." Albus extended his hand towards the now-shocked Malfoy, who happily accepted.

  
"I know I'm not part of this conversation, but I'd like you to be my friend, too." Amy said, echoed by Arcane with a mewl. Scorpius grinned and nodded enthusiastically. A moment later, the other Muggleborns joined them and starting clapping Scorpius on the back in welcome. Eventually, Scorpius tried again to talk to Rose.

  
"Rose? What do you say?" He pleaded gently. Rose considered him, and it was plain to see that the war inside her was strong, Amy could tell.

  
All she said was "We'll see." much to Scorpius' displeasure. But he nodded and remained calm.

  
"Very well. I hope I pass your tests."

  
Rose humphed and moved closer to the wall, clearly done talking.

  
"So," Amy tried to change the subject. "Which House are you hoping to be in, Scorpius?"

  
"Either Slytherin or Gryffindor, I think."

  
"Me, too." Albus chimed in. "I can't decide which one, but if I'm in either of those then I'll be happy, I think."

  
"I'd like to be in Ravenclaw or maybe Hufflepuff." Amy replied. "I like learning but I'm not sure I want to be studying every moment of my life. And from what I understand, Gryffindor and Slytherin are both good Houses. I'm just not sure I'm cut out to be a hero."

  
"I'm pretty sure I'll be in Ravenclaw." Mary declared.

  
"And I'll probably in Slytherin." Tony.

  
"I hope I'm in Hufflepuff." Evangeline muttered. "It seems like it's the least outgoing, which suits me perfectly. At least, if I have be separate from Jones. If we get Sorted into the same House, then I'd like Gryffindor."

  
"I think I'd like Gryffindor, even without my sister."

  
"That seems like a pretty even divide between the Houses." Scorpius replied. "It might end up being that way. My mom said it's not really the Hat that chooses where you go, its you. The Hat takes into consideration what house you associate with more, which values you hold higher. Bravery, friendship, intelligence or ambition."

  
"My dad said nearly the same thing!" Albus jumped to his feet. "But I'm still torn between Gryffindor or Slytherin. I guess I'll let the Hat choose."

  
"Good deal. Hey, who wants to play a game of Never Have I Ever?" Amy asked, which brought cheers from the four Muggleborns. The wizards, however, stared in silence.

  
"What's that?" Scorpius asked hesitatingly.

  
"It's a game." Amy explained. "You start off with ten fingers extended. Then one of us asks a question starting with 'never have I ever', and if you've done the thing then you put down a finger. If you haven't done it then you leave the finger extended. The last one to get to zero fingers wins! Oh, and when its your turn to say 'never have I ever', it has to be true."

  
"Alright. Sounds fun. What are the stakes?"

  
"No stakes. But you might be teased because you've never done anything." Amy displayed ten extended fingers. "I'll go first. Never have I ever...failed a test."

  
It was an exact tie. Mary, Evangeline, Tony and Jones each put down a finger, while Rose, Albus, Scorpius and Amy did not.

  
"My turn!" Mary declared, sitting on Amy's left. "Never have I ever...been bitten by an animal."

  
Amy was the only one to not put down a finger. At the shocked outrage that she faced, she explained. "I can talk to animals so if I do something they don't like, they let me know."

  
Rose skipped her turn, so it went to her cousin Albus. And then from Albus to Evangeline and Jones - who took their turn as one person because they've never been apart for any meaningful amount of time- and then to Tony before the circle ended with Scorpius, and then back to Amy. After a round or two, Rose began to loosen up and join in, and Scorpius started coming up with questions that the other kids wouldn't think of. He was also quick to make jokes in a fun way, usually involving puns.

  
When no questions were forthcoming, Amy switched the game to Truth or Dare. She had to explain it to the wizards as well, but they were quick to pick things up.

  
Just as the game was starting to get entertaining, the conductor called for lunch; and that all pets were to remain in the compartments. They were shocked to learn it was already three o'clock in the afternoon.

  
They continued their games through the meal and they had to be scolded by a prefect once or twice for being too loud. But Amy didn't mind much. She had some new friends and everyone was getting along. They were soon joined by Rose and Albus' older cousins; Victoire, Dominique, Louis, Fred II and Roxanne. The first years joined another table to theirs so that the older cousins could join in the fun. James also made an appearance, but he only said hello for a moment before he rejoined his friends in another dining car.

Amy's group of friends went back to the compartment after they'd eaten their fill of lunch, and the games didn't stop even when the sun began to set and they had to turn on the compartment lights; the conversation simply changed to revolve around Hogwarts, what everyone expected to experience, or what they wanted to see or learn about. It was quite fascinating for Amy, who was hearing about most of this for the first time. She was absolutely enthralled by the idea of riding a Hippogriff, and possibly swimming with mermaids in the lake - despite everyone's warnings that was a very bad idea.

When the conductor announced they were less than an hour away from Hogwarts, everyone in the compartment quieted down. Amy contemplated just how close she was to Hogwarts and a whole new life, how far away from home she was, and took the chance to write in her diary of her day up until then.

  
The hour passed quickly, and the train finally squealed to a stop and the conductor asked the first years to wait until the other students had left before disembarking; a message that many first years did not hear over the commotion. Amy and the other first years, however, did hear it, and crowded the window, straining to get an early look at the castle. Unfortunately, they were facing the wrong way. But they did see a large, burly man holding a lantern and calling for first years. Once the crowd in the hallway began to die, the first years grabbed their carry-on luggage, Amy put Arcane in her cage, and they disembarked the train together, joining their class. With everyone gathered together, they could see how many students were in their class. It was truly awesome to see so many heads.

  
"About two hundred of ye, there are." The burly man explained at their shocked faces. "Name's Hagrid."

  
"Hello." Scorpius spoke first. "I'm Scorpius. This is Rose, Albus, Mary, Evangeline and Jones, Tony, Amy and Arcane."

  
"Welcome to Hogwarts." Hagrid shook everyone's hand. "Amy, darling, you should leave Arcane over there, with the luggage."

  
"But -" Amy began to object.

  
"I know, you want to keep her with you. Believe me, I completely understand. But it's school rules. She needs to go with the luggage up to the castle. Not to worry, she'll be waiting for you in your dorm room after the feast."

  
Amy sighed and did as she was told, taking another moment to say goodbye. Even though she knew she'd see her kitten again - and soon - she still didn't like being apart from her.   
She came back to find Hagrid welcoming the wizarding children more warmly, exclaiming about how close Albus and Rose's parents were when they were students, what educational goals Hermione and Draco had set and challenged, and how much of a nuisance Scorpius' father made of himself. Amy could see that Scorpius wasn't happy, being compared to his father. "Now," He checked over the train. Amy turned to see the lights turning off one compartment at a time. "We just need to wait until all of those lights go out. Means all of the students are gone. Don't want none of ye gettin' separated, now do we?"

  
They watched anxiously as the last light was finally extinguished.

  
"Alright then." Hagrid cleared his throat and loudly gained everyone's attention. It was completely silent before long. "First years, follow me!" He then walked off down a trail, leaving the rest of the students to follow him.

  
Down the trail they marched, through the dark trees that were spookily misshapen and creaking in the moonlit darkness. The students instinctively grouped themselves together into a row that was four wide. The only light they had was the moon and the stars.

  
Finally, they broke the treeline and came upon a long dock with about fifty wooden boats bobbing in the water of a lake, each equipped with two lanterns; one in front and one in the rear.

  
"Four to a boat." Hagrid ordered as he waved the students past him. Amy, Rose, Albus and Scorpius - being the closest to Hagrid - were the first to grab a boat; girls on one side, boys on the other.

  
Hagrid repeated the simple command, his voice booming across the water to be easily heard, until all fifty boats were occupied.

  
While they waited for the other boats to be loaded, they found the castle high on a hill not far away. They gasped at the sight and Amy was completely thralled at the majestic power of this ancient school. Even at night and with the only light coming from the lanterns in the windows, it screamed its importance and beauty.

  
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy." Amy whispered in absolute awe.

  
"Nearly fifteen centuries old." Rose explained.

  
"Originally founded by Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin." Scorpius added.

  
"Survivor of the Battle of Hogwarts nineteen years ago." Albus chimed in next. "Completely restored."

  
"Blo-dy-hell." Mary emphasized from the next boat and Amy saw the twins nod in agreement.

Finally, after an impossibly long time of sitting in an uncomfortable wooden boat with nothing more to do than spout facts they'd picked up about the castle, Hagrid climbed into the last boat - which was completely empty of students. With a great bellow, he gave a command and the boats lurched forward. Amy was knocked backward, into the bow of the boat. When she straightened, she saw that the boat was indeed moving, but with no oars or engines to propel them into motion. She was about to ask how they were doing this on their own, but closed her mouth as the obvious answer sprang to mind. Magic.

The boats travelled across the lake, Hagrid's boat quickly taking lead position. The students were soon enthralled all over again as they saw Hogwarts from more angles and saw more water reflecting the moon's light. The boats came around the far side of the castle, neared a curtain of ivy, and then the students were plunged into absolute darkness as they entered a tunnel. The boats kept gliding along and, before anybody began to truly panic, they jolted to a stop as they docked themselves.

  
"Watch yer step now." Hagrid's voice commanded from ahead, his lantern illuminating a staircase. "Grab a lantern and be careful. Docks and steps are slippery." He then proceeded up the stone staircase. Very carefully, one boat at a time, all of the students disembarked, grabbing a lantern as they did. Amy and Scorpius grabbed the two lanterns out of their boat, and Amy held hers high to gain the full advantage of its light as she began the steep climb on the stairs.

The stone staircase, perfectly hidden in the darkness, was steep and much longer than it seemed. Amy's legs were nearly ready to give out, and her breathe was shallow and icy when she and her friends finally levelled out. Hagrid was waiting at the top of the stairs, watching the students that had yet to finish the ascension. Meanwhile, the other students moved closer to the giant doors and sat down to rest.

  
"How is it possible," a panting breathe from Amy. "for one staircase," another breath. "to be so hard?"

  
"Welcome," Rose answered. "to Hogwarts." She paused for a breath. "Nothing is easy here." She took a deep breath before continuing.

  
"I'm scared now." Mary whined.

  
"Look alive now!" Hagrid's voice interrupted their thoughts. "On your feet."

  
Nearly the whole class groaned and grumbled but made their way to a stand while Hagrid moved to take point again. "Nearly there. Come along now."

  
He climbed the five steps to the main doors - each was taller than five students and must have weighed as many pounds, made of oak most likely - and they swung open as he approached. Well, that makes things easier.

  
They came into a hallway, brightly lit by lanterns. Made entirely of stone but it gleamed like tile. The ceiling was taller than the doors and every step echoed clearly. Hagrid led them down the hallway and made a turn, then up another staircase. Thankfully, they could see the end of the stairs so no one complained too much. At the very top, Hagrid stopped and faced them again.

  
"This is where I leave you. I'll see you in a bit in the Great Hall." He gestured to a wizard who had stood off to the side. He came forward now. "This is Professor Neville Longbottom. He teaches Herbology. He'll take care of you from here." He then ambled off and slipped past the giant doors behind Professor Longbottom.

  
"Hello, everyone. Welcome to Hogwarts. Past the doors behind me are your classmates. Before you'll join them, you'll need to be Sorted. There are four Houses. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin. The Sorting Hat will explain more, but what you need to know is that tonight the Houses eat separately. But for the rest of the year, the House benches will cease and make way for regular benches where all Houses can eat at the same table. I tell you this because this was not so during my time here so many of you were likely told you'd be eating as a House at every meal. Now, each house competes for House Points. Showing yourself to be an attentive student - like answering questions and doing good deeds - gains you House Points. Rulebreaking results in the loss of those Points. At the end of the year, the Points of each House is totaled and the winning house receives the House Cup. Speaking of rules. Curfew is ten o'clock pm, every night. Each House has a few authority figures; The Head of House, the Head Boy and Head Girl, and six prefects for each House, and that's in addition to each teacher and the Headmistress who are in charge of the whole student body. I am the Head of House for Gryffindor, Professor Newman is the Head of Slytherin, Professor Barness is Head of Ravenclaw, and Head of Hufflepuff is Professor Mansley. Everybody understand?"

  
There were some murmurs of agreement scattered throughout the exhausted student body.  
"Good. That's all I have to say. Now, line yourselves up in rows of two." He then headed for the doors. Amy and Scorpius squeezed themselves into the first row, with Albus and Rose behind them. Longbottom stopped at the doors and repeated the command to form into rows of two. He waited a moment, then asked Amy and Scorpius to remain while he went back to the staircase to watch the rest of the students. When he came back, he opened the doors. Amy and Scorpius immediately followed their teacher and stuck close to him, but their eyes wandered around the Great Hall.

  
First and foremost, there were four benches. Students dressed in green - Slytherin - were against the far left wall. Next to them was Hufflepuff. On Amy's right was Gryffindor, and then Ravenclaw against the far right wall. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of students watched the first years enter the hall. Amy whimpered quietly, suddenly nervous. Scorpius brushed his hand against hers in a silent show of support. She smiled in thanks and looked around more.

  
Above them, hundreds of candles floated in a ceiling that was dark and starry with a moon slowly creeping. It was a beautiful sight. At the head of the hall sat about twenty or thirty teachers. Hagrid sat at the far right, and a regal woman dressed all in green sat in the middle in the tallest chair. Headmistress McGonagall.

  
When they stood before the teacher's platform, Longbottom stopped and Amy's eyes were drawn to a ragged hat perched on a wooden stool. The Sorting Hat. Then, before her eyes, the Hat began to move. Its eyes opened, its mouth moved and....it sang.

Oh you may not think I'm pretty,  
But don't judge on what you see,  
I'll eat myself if you can find  
A smarter hat than me.

You can keep your bowlers black,  
Your top hats sleek and tall,  
For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat  
And I can cap them all.

There's nothing hidden in your head  
The Sorting Hat can't see,  
So try me on and I will tell you  
Where you ought to be.   
You might belong in Gryffindor,  
Where dwell the brave at heart,  
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry  
Set Gryffindors apart;

You might belong in Hufflepuff,  
Where they are just and loyal,  
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true  
And unafraid of toil;

Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,  
If you've a ready mind,  
Where those of wit and learning,  
Will always find their kind;

Or perhaps in Slytherin  
You'll make your real friends,  
Those cunning folks use any means  
To achieve their ends.   
Now slip me snug about your ears,  
I've never yet been wrong,  
I'll have a look inside your mind  
And tell where you belong!   
Are you afraid of what you'll hear?  
Afraid I'll speak the name you fear?  
Not Slytherin! Not Gryffindor!  
Not Hufflepuff! Not Ravenclaw!  
Don't worry, child, I know my job,  
You'll learn to laugh, if first you sob.

When the Hat concluded its song, Amy was left in shock. Just as she was getting her thoughts together, Longbottom came back with a scroll in hand.

  
"When I call your name, please step up to the stool. I will place the Hat on your head and you will be Sorted and will join your House." He paused, picked up the hat as he glanced at the scroll. "Emanuel Acosta."

  
A scrawny, almost shy boy made his way to the stool. He sat down, the Hat was placed on his head, and it belted out "Ravenclaw!"

  
Ravenclaw house cheered and Emanuel scampered over to sit in an empty spot.  
The next student called was Elizabeth Aguilar, sorted into Slytherin.  
Then a Gryffindor and a Hufflepuff.

Fifth on the list was Marigold Anderson. She practically bounced with excitement as she sat on the stool, and she was nearly immediately placed in Ravenclaw. Amy waved to her friend as she made her way to her House and sat down around a group of older students.

  
Evangeline and Jones were separated. Him to Gryffindor and her to Hufflepuff.

  
The next of Amy's group of friends was called; Rose was Sorted into Gryffindor with air to spare. She visibly sighed in relief. She hugged Albus good luck and then joined James.

  
The next of their group to be called was Tony, Sorted into Ravenclaw.

  
Sixth to be called was Scorpius. Amy watched him take a deep breath before he proudly marched to the stool. The hat took a good two minutes, whispering to Scorpius, before finally Sorting him into Slytherin.

  
About twenty students later, the seventh to be called was Albus. He seemed to have much the same conversation with the hat as Scorpius had. He was Sorted into Slytherin. Amy smiled at her friend as he ran to join Scorpius at the Slytherin table.

  
Which left Amy to be last of the group.

  
When her name was finally called, Amy walked up in what she hoped was a composed manner. Her heart hammered in her chest, her legs still shook from the climb up so many stairs and she felt dizzy from a sudden lack of oxygen. But she had enough coordination to make it to the stool and accept the hat on her head without making a fool of herself.

  
"Hmm." The Hat whispered, his voice reverberating in her ears and in her head. "I haven't faced this particular decision in a while. You are drawn to all four houses with equal fervor. You are intelligent for your age, and you love to learn but you also love friends, and you appreciate the one who does what they have to do to get a task done."

  
"Yes."

  
"Alright then. Then tell me which you'd rather possess; the cunning of a fox, or the gentle heart of a friend?"

"The heart."

"Hmm. Do you prioritize learning above all, or something else?"

"Learning is important, but everyone needs friends. Otherwise life is dull."

"I see. Is there a difference between fun but dangerous sports, and dangerous stunts done for fun?"

"Yes. One is controlled and careful but still fun, the other is foolhardy and risky. I am not drawn to either but I enjoy fun."

"I understand. You're very wise for your age. Then I sort you into Hufflepuff!"

  
Amy sighed in relief as the hat was lifted from her head. The House of yellow applauded, Evangeline stood in her enthusiasm. Amy was surprised to find that she had no trouble with her legs or breathing when she sat down beside her friend. She tucked in, said hello to her Housemates, and watched the last twenty students being Sorted, trying her best to ignore her empty stomach growling angrily.

At last the final student found her House, the hat and stool were set aside, and Headmistress McGonagall stood to address the school.

  
"Welcome, everyone, to a new school year. A reminder to all that the Forbidden Forest is strictly forbidden. First years, this rule is so because there are dangerous creatures lurking. If you value your life, do not break this rule."

  
Forbidden Forest off-limits after dark. Penalty: Death. Amy noted.

  
"Another rule that you first-years should be aware of is that duelling is allowed as long as you are supervised by a teacher. As such, all duelling etiquette rules must be observed. Those who do not duel honestly and fairly will forfeit their win. On another subject, we have a new teacher with us. Teaching History of Magic is Professor Axel. Professor Binns has agreed to teach Professor Axel while he teaches you. Class schedules will be handed out at breakfast tomorrow along with a packet that lists everything else you need to know about the school and your classes. First years, if you have questions please ask your upperclassmen or teachers. Now, on to the part you're looking forward to: Let the Feast Begin!" She clapped her hands together and a moment later, the five benches were overflowing with food.

Steaming hot, well-cooked, scrumptious-smelling food. There was chicken, turkey, beef, pork and fish, and more veggies than she could identify. The sudden force of her hunger almost made Amy whimper. She speared a chicken and easily removed its legs and thighs, dropped them onto her plate and reached for the mashed potatoes and peas. She piled each high and began to eat with a tenacity that would have made her mother gasp. Around her, her Housemates ate just as greedily.

  
Somewhere around her second helping of chicken, Amy realized she didn't have anything to drink. She looked around and didn't see any beverage pitchers. She gently prodded the older student beside her, who gave her his attention. Amy swallowed the mouthful she had and asked "How do I get something to drink?"

  
"Take your wand, tap it on your glass and say what you want. Any drink you want, it'll be there."

  
"Okay, so." She took out her wand from its slot in her robes. "Tap the glass," she tapped it once. "Apple juice."

  
The glass filled itself magically before her eyes, drawing ooh's from Amy, Mary and the other twenty first years who sat nearby. Then they replicated what Amy had done and smiled at the first bit of magic they'd learned.

  
"Thank you!" Amy turned to the older student.

  
"No problem."

  
Silence reigned supreme again as Amy went back to her dinner, gulping down the goblet of juice before she finished off her plate. She refilled the goblet and drank it down again. With two glasses of juice and two plates of food in her belly, she began to feel it. She sighed as exhaustion reared its head again, begging her to go to bed. But she couldn't. She didn't know where the common room was, and the banquet hadn't ended yet. To stay awake, she sipped more apple juice and started up a conversation with Mary, who was facing a similar dilemma.

  
When most of the students slowed their eating, the food changed from entree to dessert. Ice cream, pudding, cakes, pies, in every flavor and every topping she could imagine presented itself to Amy. She hesitated and then reached for a small bowl and some mint ice cream with chocolate sprinkles. She took a small bite and moaned in pleasure at the flavor and texture of the ice cream and the chocolate-y-ness of the sprinkles. Bloody hell, this was the best she'd had in her life! She finished that first bowl as quickly as she dared and took another.

  
At last, McGonagall closed the feast with a reminder that classes began tomorrow. The food disappeared and the students stood. Mary and Amy stuck close together as they followed their upperclassmen out of the hall through a door on the Slytherin side of the Great Hall, down a staircase to the right, a left at the bottom and down a narrow hallway. The person at the head, who gave off an air of authority, stopped and raised a hand to gain everyone's attention.

  
"Before we go any further, seventh years please pair up with a first year."

  
There was a bit of a commotion as students moved about. An older teenager situated himself next to Amy, introducing himself as Gregory.

  
"Years two through six, go ahead." Amy was jostled as students shoved past her; some nicely and some not so nicely.

  
"What's going on?" She asked Gregory. "Who is that up front?"

  
"That's Alexander. He's Head Boy and he basically rules the coop when our Head of House isn't around. Right now he's watching each of the other students get inside the common room. It's a bit tricky, which is why he's paired us seventh years with you first years. He wants us to show you how to get inside. Meanwhile, he's checking to make sure the other students remember."

  
"Oh, okay. Why is it so hard getting inside?"

  
"It safeguards the common room from the other Houses getting in. Each of the other Houses has their own way to get inside their common room."

  
"Oh. Is ours more difficult than the others?"

  
"Sort of. Slytherin and Gryffindor have passwords that change weekly. Ravenclaw has to solve a different riddle every time they want to go inside. We have to stick to a rhythm as we tap a certain barrel a certain number of times. If we get it wrong, we get soaked in water."

  
"Yikes! That seems a bit harsh."

  
"Badgers are very protective of their set in the wild, and Hufflepuffs are no different. The common room is our home, our sanctuary. We don't want it easily accessible to just anyone."

  
"Okay. So, can you show me how we get inside?"

  
"Absolutely. The rhythm goes like this." He held out his wand, and Amy held out hers. He bobbed it from the top down, to the left and right, and then upward with a slow beat. He accentuated each beat with a 'buhm'. Amy copied him, 'buhm'-ing along, doing her best to keep perfect time.  
"Good. I think you've got the rhythm down. Now, we add the words to the rhythm. Hel-ga Huff-le-puff."

  
"Hel-ga Huff-le-puff."

  
"Good, again."

  
And so he had her practice multiple times while the middleclassmen entered the common room one by one. Finally, Alexander caught everyone's attention and asked each pair to come forward. Seventh years were asked to guide the first years in how to get inside, as Gregory had predicted. Once the announcement was made, Amy kept practicing as the dwindling crowd moved forward.

  
When it was her turn, all Gregory had to do was point to the correct barrel and Amy basically let herself inside. The face of the barrel and the one below it swung open on her first try, revealing a hole that a seventh year would barely be able to fit through at a crawl. She sighed, tucked in her skirt and crawled through the opening.

Darkness. Warmth. Laughter. These three things were all she could sense.

There was no light, plunging the tunnel into infinite darkness. Behind her, the closed opening. Ahead of her, out of sight, was the dimly lit common room. She had only about a foot of space on any side of her, giving her room to crawl even as she grew to her full height, but not enough to turn around. The darkness felt heavy, permanent and unyielding. It was unnatural and she grew uneasy. She was trapped in this moment, able to see only what she could feel.

Warmth surrounded her. The carpet under her hands, lining the walls was meant to help her feel warm and safe; like a badger's set is meant to be. The carpet was a sharp contrast to the stone that made up the rest of the castle, and she knew that even when she'd be freezing and checking for frostbite, she'd never have to worry when she came home. Warmth permeated every surface, ingrained in everything. It'd be a haven in winter, and shelter in the summer when being underground protected them from the heat. One stable temperature, year-round.

Laughter drifted down the tunnel towards her, enveloping Amy in its soft caress, inviting her forward. She wanted to join the rest of the her House, her family, in the common room. Where the gold and green and brown worked together to make her feel safe and at peace, where she could talk to her friends about anything and know that they won't turn her away. She could sit by the fireplace and roast marshmallows and sing old folk songs, or do her homework in the corner and know she could ask for help without judgment.

"Move along, Rosewood." Alexander urged, yanking her out of her thoughts. Behind her, the Hufflepuff HeadBoy had opened the tunnel to let another first year through. She needed to move.

Amy lifted her hand and began the crawl home.

It started out flat but then sloped uphill gently, then to the right. All around her she could smell dirt after a rain. It should have been overpowering and dusty, but it was comforting. Like a flavored vapor compared to the real thing.

She finally came out in a cozy yet large, round, low-ceilinged room, reminding Amy of an underground den. The room is decorated in yellow and black, reminding Amy of bees - Is this a badger's set or a beehive? - emphasized by highly polished, honey-coloured wood for the ten tables, forty or so chairs, and the round doors which she could only assume led to the boy and girls dormitories.

  
A colourful profusion of plants and flowers on the walls seem to relish the atmosphere of the Hufflepuff common room, keeping the room full of fresh air with windows placed at ground level but unable to open. A portrait over the wooden mantelpiece showed Helga Hufflepuff - the only adult in a room of children, dressed regally in yellow robes with black trim, black sash and a black hat and a kind smile on her face, toasting her students with a tiny, two-handled golden cup.

  
Besides the ten tables, there were also four grass-green sofas in the shape of a square surrounding the tables. The floor was a simple, soft brown carpet that strongly reminded Amy of dirt and not a harsher brown like chocolate. All in all, it felt so cozy, warm and comforting. She liked it here.

  
"Well done, Amy!" Gregory congratulated her as he crawled out of the passageway. "You got in on your first try!"

  
"That was actually pretty easy, thanks for teaching me."

  
"Because you practiced. You'll find that's true of most things here at Hogwarts."

  
"What do we do now?"

  
"Now we wait for everyone else, and then we do the House Spell."

  
"House Spell?"

  
"Basically, we all stand in a circle and chant a spell. At the end of it, we're connected in a way. Every Hufflepuff will be able to tell what sort of mood your in; if your happy, sad, content or in pain. If it's severe, we can even pinpoint where you are and we'll rush over to help. It's how we got the reputation of being protectors."

  
"I see. Can you teach me the words?"

  
"Sure. Its pretty simple. Cognatio non finis in genus."

  
"Cog-nashio nawn finish in genius?"

  
"Close. Nohn, not nawn. Finie, not finish. Jen-oose not genius."

  
"Cognatio non finis in genus."

  
"There we go! It's Latin for 'Family doesn't end in blood'. That basically means that we don't have to be blood-related to be family. It's our house motto. Do you understand?"

  
"Yes. Cognatio non finish in genus."

  
"Very good. Oh, here comes Alexander now." Amy turned to face the passage and Alexander was indeed making his way towards them. "Circle up." He barked simply and Gregory pulled Amy to the circular wall. "This is the only way we'll all fit comfortably." He explained.

  
Once all of the Hufflepuffs were in place, Alexander found a spot on the wall as well.

  
"Join hands and recite the motto."

  
Amy grabbed Gregory and an older Hufflepuff's hands. As one, the house recited the motto in Latin several times, eventually falling into a rhythm so the words melted together more like a poem. They started to sway and Amy let herself relax. The moment she did, she began to feel warmth sing in her blood. Starting at her right hand - the one that held Gregory's - through her bloodstream to her legs and up, to her left hand, to her head, then heart, and around again. She surrendered herself to the magic and was rewarded with a gentle pulsing in her head.

  
After another few moments, the house quieted but the affects of the spell remained.

  
"We are now bound together as a House." Alexander spoke up, not quite as sharp as commandly as before. "First years, what your feeling is unity. What you feel, we all feel. For the rest of the year, we will be able to sense if you're in trouble, or if you're happy, or sad, or anything else. Understand?"

  
"Yes." The house answered as one.

  
"Then it's time for bed. Face the dorms. Girls on the right, boys on the left. Goodnight."

  
The house moved as one. A giant throng of bodies suddenly conversing on the two doorways. Amy hung back and Mary found her.

  
"How about that, Amy? Wasn't that great?!"  
"So great!" Amy agreed. "But I honestly can't wait for bed."

  
"Yeah, me too. I hope we're in the same room."

  
"Every year gets their own room." An older girl approached them, having also decided to wait out the crowd of sleepy badgers. "There's a hallway beyond our door. First years get the first room on the left, while second years get the first room on the right. The second door on the left is for third years, and fourth years get the second on the right. Each door is also black wood with a bright yellow number on it, denoting the year of its occupants. And so on. I'm told it's mirrored on the boys' side of the dirt. Your beds are already chosen and all of your luggage is at the foot of your bed. Oh, and the doors are warded. No boys on the girls' side and no girls on the boys' side."

  
"Well, that is very clever."

  
"Yes, it is. Sorry to cut and run but I'm going to bed. Welcome to Hufflepuff and good night."

  
"Goodnight!" Amy and Mary echoed each other as the older girl moved off. Amy saw that the crowd had indeed died down. Only about ten girls remained in the common room.

  
"Shall we?" Amy turned to Mary.

  
"Let's."

  
Together, they moved for the door. They stayed at the back and patiently waited their turn to pass through. As soon as they did, Amy spotted their door and turned the doorknob. She and Mary, the last of their year to enter the room, moved inside quickly. Amy closed the door securely and turned to face the dormitory.

  
It was a simple arrangement. Circular room with twenty-five wooden four-poster beds lined against the wall. Like the door, the wood of the bed was dark-colored and the curtains tied on each side was yellow on the outside but lined with thick black fabric to keep out the light. At the top of the bed, where there was a decorative piece of wood, names were scrawled in yellow. Bold and clear, you could read each name from a reasonable distance. Each bed held luggage and a basket at its foot, and a simple desk on the left side with a lantern set on top, and there were no windows. On each chair was an outer, House-specific robe and a matching tie. In the center of the room, a stove and its fire cast light and heat around the bedroom.

  
A kitten's mewl drew Amy's attention, immediately recognizing it as Arcane's. She called out to her kitten and followed the response. She finally found her bed, her full name of Amethyst was written at the top while her kitten begged to be let out of her cage. Amy quickly undid the latch that held the carrier closed and held out her arm to her kitten.

  
"How are you, Arcane?" She asked of the white fluffball on her shoulder. "I bet your hungry, huh?" She dug around in her things and finally came up with her pajamas and a set of robes and underwear, but not the bowls and litterbox even though she was positive she had put them in the bag, and that bag was there and had already been searched. "Hmm. That's weird. Wait, you were brought here by the house elves. Maybe they already set you up." She went to the side of the bed and ducked down. From the shadows, she could discern two bowls and a pan. One bowl was heaping with food. Arcane mewled happily at the sight and went straight for the litterbox. Amy chuckled and got changed for bed and dropped the dirty robes into her hamper. She finally slid under the covers and untied each of the curtains once she was sure that Arcane was next to her, enveloping her bed in blackness. Just as she released the last tie, she yawned, decided enough was enough and fell back against the pillows. Sleep claimed her in a matter of minutes.


End file.
